The Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the United Nations as Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) with the support of the Kingdom of Norway, organized a 4-day capacity building workshop from 29 May – 1 June, for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The training was purposed to provide an in depth technical and practical training for SIDS to enhance its participation and engagement at the upcoming Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) to be held from 4 – 17 September 2018.

Among areas of discussion were the history of the BBNJ negotiations and elements of an international legally binding instrument on BBNJ to be negotiated at the first IGCs in September. Participants included member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), African and Middle Eastern States (AMES) and the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), whom were all able to gain a better understanding of the procedural aspects of the IGC as well as the substantive issues under consideration in the IGC. Representatives from international and regional organizations were also invited to participate and give presentations.

As stated by our Honorable Prime Minister Josaia. V. Bainimarama in his statement for World Environment Day on the margins of the Un Ocean Conference in New York last year, “oceans support the life of every person on earth and, for the Fijian people, our identity and well-being are tied intimately to the health of our oceans and marine resources”. On this note, BBNJ dialogue and negotiations towards an international legally binding instrument is particularly important for Fiji and our Pacific neighbours because we are large ocean states that depend heavily on our oceans for survival. In fact, two thirds of the world’s oceans lie beyond areas of national jurisdiction (ABNJ) with the Pacific Ocean making up a large portion of this. Due to the interconnectedness of our oceans it is important that we are focused on the development of an international legally binding instrument that will help to oversee the protection of marine biodiversity in the ABNJ. Any activity that takes place in the ABNJ can easily affect marine biodiversity within our ocean territories especially due to the fragile marine ecosystems that are inter-dependent and are critical for a healthy ocean.

Capacity building is also key to ensure that Pacific SIDS have the capacities to negotiate and implement the international legally binding instrument once it is adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2020.

Ms. Salaseini Tagicakibau Second Secretary for the Permanent Mission of Fiji to the UN in New York and Ms. Melania Baba, Foreign Service Officer with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented Fiji at the workshop.