2023 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

• International Law Documents
  • Environment
  • Oceans/Law of the Sea
    • Marine Environment

Secretariat (see Art. 50)

See Part IX Settlement of Disputes

Secretary-General of the United Nations

Annex I – Indicative Criteria for Identification of Areas 

Annex II – Types of Capacity-Building and of the Transfer of Marine Technology

United Nations Treaty Collection

17/01/2026

“Article 68 – Entry Into Force

1. This Agreement shall enter into force 120 days after the date of deposit of the sixtieth instrument of ratification, approval, acceptance or accession.
2. For each State or regional economic integration organization that ratifies, approves or accepts this Agreement or accedes thereto after the deposit of the sixtieth instrument of ratification, approval, acceptance or accession, this Agreement shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the deposit of its instrument of ratification, approval, acceptance or accession, subject to paragraph 1 above.
3. For the purposes of paragraphs 1 and 2 above, any instrument deposited by a regional economic integration organization shall not be counted as additional to those deposited by the member States of that organization.”

1995 Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks

1994 Agreement Relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982

1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

2017 UNGA Resolution 72/249 International 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

2015 UNGA Resolution 69/292 Development of an international 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

2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

1992 Convention on Biological Diversity

UN Treaty Collection accessed on 22/01/2026

This agreement will be opened for signature from 20 September 2023 – 20 September 2025.

For more information on this agreement and the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, please refer to https://www.un.org/bbnj/