First Session of Preparatory Commission for the Entry into Force of BBNJ Convened at UN Headquarters

Basseterre, St. Kitts, 22 April, 2025- The First Session of the Preparatory Commission
for the Entry into Force of the 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) and the Convening of the First Meeting of
the Conference of the Parties to the Agreement is being held at the UN Headquarters in
New York, from April 14-25, 2025. 
 
St. Kitts and Nevis is represented at these important discussions by H.E. Dr. Mutryce
Williams, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ms. Maritza Queeley,
National BBNJ Focal Point and Port State Control Officer in the Department of Marine
Resources and Mrs. Sonia Boddie-Thompson, Counsellor and Sixth Committee (Legal)
expert, at the Permanent Mission of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations. 
 
 The delegation forms part of a wider CARICOM delegation that is actively participating
in the deliberations, given the mandate entrusted by the Council for Foreign and
Community Relations (COFCOR) in 2016, for the region to negotiate as a block on this
critical subject matter. CARICOM hosted a Regional BBNJ Preparatory Workshop in
Miami, April 2-4, 2025, to facilitate the strategic preparation and coordination of the
region’s priorities and positions, for meaningful and effective engagement at the First
Session of the Preparatory Commission. CARICOM must be praised for its continued
provision of substantive technical support to delegations throughout the BBNJ process,
of which St. Kitts and Nevis have participated and benefitted significantly. 
 
The BBNJ Agreement was adopted on 19 June 2023, with the main objective of
facilitating the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas
beyond National Jurisdiction for present and long-term use. Additionally, through
effective implementation of relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention of the
Law of the Sea and further international cooperation and Coordination, our ocean can
thrive. 
 
The Agreement is open for signature by all states and regional economic integration
organizations from September 20, 2023, to September 20,2025, and will enter into force
120 days after the date of deposit of the sixteenth instrument of ratification, approval,
acceptance or accession. St. Kitts and Nevis is actively preparing to ratify the BBNJ
Agreement.