On 4 March 2023, the text of a new instrument governing access to genetic resources located in areas beyond national jurisdiction and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization was adopted. The geographical coverage of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization is based on the sovereign rights of States over genetic resources located in their territories.
In recent decades, technological advances have led to a dramatic increase in the exploration and exploitation of genetic resources located in areas beyond the jurisdiction of States. Such human activities are having an impact on marine biodiversity.
On 19 June 2015, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to develop an international legally binding instrument under the Law of the Sea Convention to address the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. This resolution has triggered one of the most important negotiation processes in the United Nations system for our time, with most attention being paid to the absence of rules on the exploitation of genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
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