Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Chair
We would like to begin by congratulating you on your appointment as Chair of this process.
Papua New Guinea as Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum members has already spoken for us and other Forum members today to welcome the convening of this Prepcom, particularly given the significance of the issues this process represents for the Pacific Islands Forum region.
It’s not our intention to repeat the points made in the Forum statement to which we align ourselves. We do, however, wish to take the opportunity to underline New Zealand's strong commitment to work constructively with others in this Prepcom process which will involve not only outlining our individual views and perspectives on the range of issues that will need to be addressed, but also listening carefully to the views of others that may differ from our own. It is only in this way that we will be able to identify viable, practical and useful outcomes aimed at filling the gaps in the international legal framework governing the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
In the course of our earlier negotiations on the mandate for this process, as reflected in Resolution 69/292, a number of issues have been underlined. This includes our collective commitment that the process should not undermine existing relevant legal instruments and framework and relevant global, regional and sectoral bodies. In short we see it as important that we build on and support the work already done in other relevant contexts if we are to develop an improved international framework for protection and sustainable use of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
We recognise that enhanced cooperation and coordination between States and organisations, including improved information and data sharing, will be crucial to improving biodiversity outcomes in areas beyond national jurisdiction. It is also clear that several principles will be key to this, and should be embedded into the processes and decision making arising from the instrument we develop. These principles include the precautionary approach, ecosystem approaches and the use of best available scientific information.
We have further comments on the four focus areas which make up our agenda but we will refrain from taking time now to elaborate on these. Overall, the key priority for this Prepcom session is to ensure we have a free, frank and informed exchange of views on all of these issues. Our hope is that by the end of next week we will leave this meeting with a better understanding of each other's perspectives on the range of elements that need to be further considered if we are to succeed in delivering on our mandate over the next eighteen months.
Thank you chair