On 14 April 2025, Ms. Elinor Hammarskjöld, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, attended the opening of the first session of the Preparatory Commission, established under General Assembly resolution 78/272, to prepare for the entry into force of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (“BBNJ Agreement”) and the convening of the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Agreement.
In her remarks, the Legal Counsel highlighted the importance of the meeting as a reflection of the collective commitment to multilateralism at a time when the health, productivity and resilience of the ocean face unprecedented pressures. She noted that the Agreement marked a historic achievement and a triumph of multilateralism, and encouraged delegations to carry that achievement forward in the same spirit of compromise and flexibility that made the Agreement possible.
The Legal Counsel also reaffirmed the commitment of the Office of Legal Affairs, through the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, in supporting States in their efforts towards becoming parties to the Agreement and in supporting the Preparatory Commission in fulfilling its mandate.
