The Role of Regional Cooperation Efforts for the High Seas of the Southeast Pacific

The STRONG High Seas (‘Strengthening Regional Ocean Governance for the High Seas’) project and its regional partner the Permanent Commission for the South Pacific (CPPS) are organising the Joint Workshop – ‘The Role of Regional Cooperation Efforts for the High Seas of the Southeast Pacific’ – which will take place online on 26-27 May 2021.

This workshop is part of a series of workshops organised under the STRONG High Seas project in the Southeast Pacific region with the aim to bring together stakeholders to discuss current challenges as well as opportunities for global and regional ocean governance, foster exchange of knowledge and information, and build new networks. It will apply an interactive approach to enable information exchange between participants and explore various topics relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) cover about half of the planet’s surface, have high biodiversity and deliver important ecosystem services. While there is a growing economic and political interest in exploitation of marine resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction, there is no comprehensive legal regime for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in these areas to date. In this regard, the international community agreed in 2015 to develop a global, legally binding agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction under the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS). Pursuant to UN General Assembly Resolution 72/249 of December 2017, the negotiations of this instrument started in September 2018.

This workshop will discuss different topics relevant to ABNJ, present the outputs and outcomes of the STRONG High Seas project and discuss future work, particularly:

• Provide a setting for States and stakeholders to exchange about lessons learnt and best practices in regional ocean governance, particularly with regard to the conservation of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction;
• Identify opportunities for stakeholders to engage with regional and global processes as well as considerations for capacity and knowledge in the Southeast Pacific region in the form of new information and knowledge exchange;
• Present and discuss the scientific work of the STRONG High Seas project, particularly on: a) the current or potential contributions of marine areas, and in particular ABNJ of the Southeast Pacific, to human wellbeing (i.e. socioeconomic benefits, jobs and livelihoods and ecosystem services); b) conservation and management measures for marine biodiversity in ABNJ for the Southeast Pacific; and c) capacity considerations;
• Present and discuss the upcoming scientific work of the STRONG High Seas project on cross-sectoral management of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), with a particular focus on the Southeast Pacific, and identify opportunities for collaboration with stakeholders in the region on this work;
• Take stock of the STRONG High Seas project, including its progress to date and discuss opportunities for ensuring its value and relevance to the Southeast Pacific region for the future; and
• Consider effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the region, including for policy processes.

Venue: Zoom

— This is a closed workshop / Participation by invitation only —