Ministry Statements & Speeches:
United Nations General Assembly: Interngovernmental Conference on an Internationally Legally Binding Instrument 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.
Thank you Madam President,
Aotearoa New Zealand associates itself with the statement delivered by the distinguished representative of Fiji on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum.
Aotearoa New Zealand welcomes the adoption of the new UN treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. This is a huge win for our ocean and a huge win for global cooperation.
For our ocean, this treaty represents a major step forward in our collective efforts to safeguard our global commons for future generations. For global cooperation, the conclusion of these negotiations in a time of heightened geopolitical complexity is a timely reminder that multilateralism can continue to deliver solutions for the world’s most complex and pressing global challenges.
We acknowledge the extensive efforts made by all participants to get us to this point. We were particularly impressed with the constructive spirit, the level of engagement, and the willingness to compromise shown in March, which meant we were able to reach substantive conclusion after a particularly gruelling final 36 hours.
We would also like to thank the High Seas Alliance and all civil society participants, for their expert input and ambition-setting throughout this process, from before the beginning of negotiations through to this point of adoption.
We thank our excellent facilitators for their expert guidance of our negotiations, and the Secretariat, conference staff and interpreters for their support. We also acknowledge and thank Mexico for our partnership in launching this process. Finally, and most importantly, we would like to acknowledge you, Madam President, for your unwavering leadership of this process. It is thanks to your tireless efforts, vital guidance, and “never-give-up” spirit that the ship was able to reach the shore in March.
This Treaty represents the biggest update to the UNCLOS framework since UNCLOS was adopted in 1982. New Zealand is, and has always been, a strong and vocal supporter of UNCLOS – it is the Constitution for our Oceans, and the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. This Treaty reinforces that framework by providing modern tools and systems for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.
This is vital to Aotearoa New Zealand, whose indigenous people recognise a kinship relationship with Tangaroa, the god of the oceans, and all of Tangaroa’s children within the ocean: the fish, marine mammals, seabirds, the currents and swells, and other invisible life forces within the ocean. This relationship brings a responsibility of stewardship - or “kaitiakitanga” in the Maori language. The adoption of this Treaty is an important recognition of this responsibility at a global scale.
However this is not where the journey ends. With a bit of distance from the marathon of March, we must now ensure that we do not let up our pace on this important work.
There is much preparatory work to be done to ensure the treaty can function effectively once in force. States must now look forward to signature, and eventual ratification of the treaty, with the aim of having it enter into force at the earliest possible moment. Implementation of this treaty, and making the most of the opportunities it provides for collaboration, will be vital to ensuring the health of our ocean for present and future generations.
New Zealand looks forward to embarking on these next steps in our journey.
Thank you Madam President.