18 September 2026: CIL Director, Dr Nilufer Oral was Invited to Speak at the 15^th Ocean Dialogue: From Agreement to Action: Implementing BBNJ for Equitable and Effective Ocean Governance, Organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. 

Since 17 January 2026, the BBNJ Agreement has entered its implementation phase following two decades of negotiations. The key challenge now is translating its provisions into effective action at national, regional and global levels. This includes aligning domestic legal and institutional frameworks, ensuring coherence with existing ocean governance regimes, and addressing capacity constraints, particularly in developing countries.

Against this backdrop, the Ocean Dialogue provided a platform for governments and stakeholders to exchange experiences, identify common challenges and explore practical approaches to implementation. The focus was on legal coherence, international cooperation, institutional engagement, and enabling conditions, with a view to strengthening national and regional readiness for the early implementation of the Agreement.

The Dialogue comprised three sessions: (1) aligning domestic legal and institutional frameworks with BBNJ obligations; (2) operationalising international, regional and subregional cooperation; and (3) strengthening engagement with BBNJ institutions, including the Clearing-House Mechanism and subsidiary bodies, while addressing capacity building, financial mechanisms and marine technology transfer.

Dr Oral spoke at the session on “Operationalizing International Cooperation under the BBNJ Framework.”

More about the event at the link: https://www.kas.de/en/web/vietnam/veranstaltungsberichte/detail/-/content/the-15th-ocean-dialogue