IUCN to spearhead EU-funded initiative assisting countries to implement high seas biodiversity commitments

The EU Global Ocean Programme will play a key role in bolstering countries’ ability to promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas. Also known as marine areas beyond national jurisdiction, the high seas represent around half of the planet’s surface, harbouring a wide array of marine life, including unique deep-sea species and migratory megafauna - but are increasingly threatened by chemical pollution, overfishing, natural resource extraction and other environmental issues.

Spearheaded by IUCN, the programme’s first component will deliver support to national institutions of the EU’s partner countries most in need of technical assistance, such as Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries, ensuring their ability to fully engage in and benefit from global processes relating to high seas marine biodiversity. One of the programme’s main features is a new Technical Assistance Facility, designed to help partner countries ratify or accede to the BBNJ Agreement, prepare for its implementation and access expert ocean science and policy advice through targeted support. The facility is funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA).

“The adoption of the BBNJ Agreement marked a historic step for conserving high seas biodiversity, covering nearly half the planet,” said IUCN Director General, Dr Grethel Aguilar. “To ensure the Agreement delivers real impact, IUCN is committed to supporting countries — especially Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries — to fully engage with and implement its provisions. Through the Technical Assistance Facility, both the European Commission and IUCN will work with countries to translate the BBNJ Agreement into action. We all need to protect our shared oceans, and IUCN is honoured to be able to support such pivotal efforts.”

Areas beyond national jurisdiction cover 64% of the ocean surface, 95% of its volume, and encompass a vast range of habitats from the atmosphere down to deep-sea ecosystems, which help regulate the functioning of the oceans while contributing to climate stability and food security. As technological advancements expand access to remote high seas regions, the potential for future discovery of maritime biological materials and the extraction of previously untapped natural resources, such as seabed minerals, is being enhanced in potentially vulnerable and biodiversity-rich ecosystems. These developments heighten the importance of governance instruments such as the BBNJ Agreement, adopted in 2023 under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The agreement offers a legal framework for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from activities with respect to marine genetic resources; the establishment of Marine Protected Areas in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction; conducting comprehensive impact assessments; and promoting capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology. Presently, however, many countries lack the capability to translate the BBNJ and related agreements into domestic laws and have them contribute in practice to safeguard marine biodiversity.

The new Technical Assistance Facility is part of a wider BBNJ-related effort by IUCN, which includes the revitalisation of the BBNJ High Ambition Coalition, funded by the European Commission’s European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), as well as the Living High Seas initiative, funded by the German government under the International Climate Initiative (IKI).  

More information

• Enhancing capacities for high seas conservation, Global Ocean Programme funded by the European Commission (DG INTPA)
• IUCN Explanatory Guide to the BBNJ Agreement, funded under the France-IUCN partnership
• High Ambition Coalition for the BBNJ, funded by European Commission (CINEA)

• High seas | IUCN