WorldStage– Nigeria has completed all domestic legal frameworks required to officially ratify the landmark UN Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), widely known as the High Seas Treaty.
The announcement was made during the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee debate on the rule of law in New York.
The agreement establishes a legally binding international legal architecture to govern, conserve, and sustainably manage marine biological diversity across global ocean waters falling outside domestic territorial boundaries.
KEY PILLARS OF THE UN HIGH SEAS TREATY (BBNJ)
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) & Area Management
Marine Genetic Resources & Fair Benefit Sharing
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)
Capacity Building & Transfer of Marine Technology
Key Elements of the Global BBNJ Treaty
By moving to formalize its status as a full party to the treaty, Nigeria aligns its national maritime policies with global frameworks covering nearly two-thirds of the world’s oceans. The BBNJ Agreement operates across four main pillars:
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Establishing international protocols to set up high-seas conservation zones.
Marine Genetic Resources (MGRs): Mandating the equitable sharing of economic and scientific benefits derived from deep-sea marine life used in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and commercial applications.
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs): Imposing standardized environmental reporting requirements for commercial and research activities in international waters.
Technology Transfer: Facilitating technical support, scientific data access, and capacity building for developing coastal nations.
Nigeria Reaffirms Commitment to International Law & Adjudication
Addressing the UN panel, the Nigerian delegation emphasized the nation’s track record of upholding international legal obligations and peaceful dispute resolution.
As an example of compliance, the delegation cited Nigeria’s full adherence to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment of October 2002 regarding the Bakassi Peninsula border dispute with Cameroon.
Nigeria recalled its administrative withdrawal from the peninsula and border communities under the framework of the 2006 Greentree Agreement, highlighting that the country respects binding international judicial decisions even when the outcomes are unfavorable.
Call to Address Structural Barriers for Developing Nations
While affirming its commitment to national sovereignty and the international legal order, Nigeria raised concerns regarding ongoing structural inequalities within global dispute settlement systems.
The delegation highlighted critical barriers faced by developing states, including:
Capacity Constraints: Limited technical expertise in navigating complex international legal procedures.
Resource Disparities: Unequal financial access to international judicial platforms and international law specialists.
To build an equitable global legal architecture, Nigeria urged international partners to step up investments in legal capacity building, treaty negotiations, and institutional representation for developing countries across international courts and tribunals.
