STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, TO INTRODUCE DRAFT RESOLUTION A/77/L.82, 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, UNDER AGENDA ITEM 72(A) ON OCEANS AND THE LAW OF THE SEA, GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK, 1 AUGUST 2023

Mr President, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues,

1 I have the honour to introduce draft resolution A/77/L.82, entitled “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”.  On behalf of my delegation, I would like to thank all Member States for their constructive engagement during the consultations on the draft resolution.

2 Member States will recall that the recently concluded BBNJ Intergovernmental Conference adopted the BBNJ Agreement by consensus on 19 June 2023.  The draft resolution that we have tabled is essentially a procedural resolution that aims to follow up on the initial essential matters pertaining to the eventual operationalization and implementation of the BBNJ Agreement.

3 Paragraph 1 of the draft resolution welcomes the adoption of the BBNJ Agreement.  The adoption of the BBNJ Agreement as you all know, distinguished delegates, was the culmination of nearly two decades of work in the General Assembly and was of course commended and widely celebrated by members of the international community.  The BBNJ Agreement, in essence, constitutes a major milestone for the rule of law in ocean governance, and the adoption of this agreement has also, I should add, strengthened multilateralism and has also strengthened the role of the United Nations in finding solutions to global challenges.

4 Please allow me to continue to explain the draft resolution that we have tabled. Paragraphs 2 to 4 relate to the Secretary-General’s functions under the BBNJ Agreement.  In line with the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Conference to the General Assembly, paragraph 2 approves the assumption by the Secretary-General of the functions assigned to him under the Agreement, including the depositary functions and the performance of the interim secretariat functions under the BBNJ Agreement.  Paragraph 3 requests the Secretary-General to make budgetary proposals for the additional work that the Secretariat will undertake in connection with the Agreement, and paragraph 4 requests the Secretary-General as depositary of the Agreement to open it for signature on 20 September 2023.

5 Based on the strong support for the BBNJ Agreement as well as the strong support expressed for its early entry into force, paragraph 5 calls for States and regional economic integration organizations to consider becoming a party to the Agreement as soon as possible.  Paragraph 6, which provides for the inclusion of a new sub-item on the Agreement in the provisional agenda of the next session of the General Assembly, was included based on the expressions of support at the further resumed fifth session of the Intergovernmental Conference for consideration to be given to efforts to support the early entry into force of the Agreement as well as its early implementation, including through a preparatory process such as a preparatory commission.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates,

6 Singapore calls on all Member States to vote in support of draft resolution A/77/L.82 as it has been tabled and without any amendments.  I would like to take this opportunity to share with all distinguished delegates that Singapore will vote in favour of the draft resolution as tabled and Singapore will also vote against the proposed amendments contained in document A/77/L.83.  The proposed amendments, in our view, are not in line with the spirit and substance of the draft resolution that we have presented.  We believe that the amendments seek to delete important elements of the resolution and the amendments are at odds with what the resolution seeks to achieve, and the amendments are aimed at minimising the attention and consideration that ought to be given to the great collective achievement of Member States that the BBNJ Agreement represents. 

Excellencies, distinguished delegates,

7 Once again, we call on all Member States who support the BBNJ Agreement, and who support the early entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement, to accordingly give their kind support to the draft resolution as tabled by Singapore without any amendments.

8 I thank you very much for your attention.

. . . . .