Litouws voorzitterschap streeft naar akkoord behoud en duurzaam gebruik marine biodiversiteit (en)

Lithuania prepared and distributed a letter on the position of the EU and its Member States while preparing for the meeting of a working group of United Nations (UN) for marine biodiversity preservation and sustainable usage issues in areas beyond national jurisdiction in New York on August 19-23. The letter is addressed to the presidents of this working group and permanent representatives in the UN.

The Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union represents an ambitious position of the EU and its Member States on a new UN Convention on the Law of the Sea implementing agreement on biodiversity preservation and sustainable usage in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

“The EU and its Member States emphasise the necessity to prepare to make the decision until the end of the 69th UN General Assembly session, as it was determined in Rio+20 conference. The deadline is rapidly approaching and the EU and its Member States express the opinion that there is a need to join efforts and to strive for a consensus on the content of the possible legal instrument,” says the letter.

In the meeting of the UN working group, on behalf of the EU and its Member States it will be required for fundamental debate on these issues and for working group recommendations on the basis of which the General Assembly already in the 68th session would be offered to initiate the preparatory process during which it should begin preparing the decision. Also, scope and content of the upcoming UN Convention on the Law of the Sea implementing agreement would be discussed; an intergovernmental group should be established for this purpose. This preparatory process defined by agreed terms should provide the appropriate opportunities for the necessary political discussion.

Already in its conclusions on June 11, 2012, the Environment Council of the EU underscored the necessity of marine biodiversity preservation and sustainable usage, especially in areas beyond national jurisdiction and urged for initiation of negotiations on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea implementing agreement on marine biodiversity preservation and sustainable usage that would determine marine protection zones, environmental impact assessment, provisions for access to genetic resources and for benefits distribution of legal regulation, and highlighted the importance of the ad hoc working group established by the UN General Assembly.

For the full text of the letter on the position of the EU and its Member States while preparing for the meeting of the working group of United Nations (UN) in New York on August 19-23, click here.