From Negotiations to Conservation: The Role of Science Diplomacy in the BBNJ Agreement

1. The ocean plays a critical role in regulating the climate, supporting biodiversity, and sustaining human livelihoods, but it faces increasing threats from overfishing, deep-sea mining, and pollution. 
 

2. The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement provides a legal framework for governing the high seas, covering two-thirds of the ocean and addressing the triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. 
 

3. Science diplomacy has been crucial in negotiating and shaping the BBNJ agreement. It has facilitated neutral, evidence-based discussions, enabling international collaboration despite political and economic differences. 
 

4. Science diplomacy enhances ocean governance through trust-building, fair data sharing (FAIR and CARE principles), integration of Indigenous knowledge, capacity-building for developing countries, and fostering long-term international cooperation. 
 

5. Beyond the agreement’s adoption, science diplomacy remains vital for implementation, ensuring that policies evolve with scientific advancements and that global cooperation persists in protecting ocean health for future generations.