BBNJ Agreement: 10 Parties (NiF)

On 24 September 2024, Singapore and the Maldives deposited their instruments of ratification to 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 Agreement; not in force), bringing the Parties to a total of 10. The BBNJ Agreement shall enter into force 120 days after the date of deposit of the sixtieth instrument of ratification, approval, acceptance or accession (BBNJ Agreement, Art 68(1)). The addition of Singapore and the Maldives also adds, respectively, the first Southeast Asian and South Asian State to the geographical representation of the existing Parties (which currently also includes: East Africa, Europe, Oceania, the Caribbean, South America and Central America).