biological diversity
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Enforcement countdown triggered as BBNJ Treaty gets 60th ratification
On 19 September 2025, the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdictions (BBNJ Treaty) reached the milestone 60 state ratifications that were needed to trigger its entry into force. St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which signed the Treaty on 17 September 2025, helped to push ratifications to the required number. Earlier…
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Saint Lucia ratifies BBNJ Agreement
Another CARICOM Member State has ratified 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). Saint Lucia deposited its Instruments of Ratification on 26 November 2024, joining Belize and Barbados in ratifying the BBNJ that was agreed upon in…
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Statement by The Hon. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados| High Level Segment, 16th Meeting of The Conference Of The Parties To The UN Convention On Biological Diversity| Cali, Colombia| 30 October 2024
The Hon. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, addressed the High-Level Segment of the 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia on Wednesday, 30 October 2024. Please listen to her statement:
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Belize Celebrates Historic Ratification of Ocean Biodiversity Agreement
Belize has made history by being the first Caribbean nation to officially ratify the groundbreaking ocean biodiversity 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 (BBNJAgreement). The global commitment to safeguard 30 percent of the ocean by 2030 hinges greatly on…
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CARICOM’s rich biodiversity remains answer to several sustainable development challenges
Today is International Day for Biological Diversity. Please read below a CARICOM Secretariat message to mark the occasion: The Caribbean Community Secretariat joins the regional and international community in celebration of International Day for Biological Diversity. This year’s global celebrations bring a renewed sense of hope with the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at the 15th Conference of…
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CARICOM negotiating strategy hailed as Ocean Biodiversity Treaty agreed
CARICOM negotiators have hailed the just-concluded agreement for the historic Ocean Biodiversity Treaty as an excellent example of the success that can be achieved when we work as one Region, with one voice. The negotiations for the historic Treaty on Conservation and Sustainable use of Marine Biodiversity Areas, Beyond National Jurisdictions, concluded on 4 March 2023 at the United Nations…
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CARICOM had strong team at ocean biodiversity treaty negotiations
CARICOM’s strong negotiating team for the just-agreed Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty (BBNJ) comprised representatives of the Region’s Permanent Missions to the United Nations and capital base experts supported by scientific and legal experts drawn from the regional institutions (the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (and the University of the West Indies) with the CARICOM Secretariat providing technical,…
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CARICOM Statement On The Legally Binding Instrument Of The Conservation And Sustainable Use Of Marine Biodiversity Of Areas Beyond National Jurisdictions (BBNJ)
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) remains deeply concerned that human actions, including the emissions of greenhouse gases, have led to the rapid ongoing decline of marine ecosystems from coastal to deep sea, with particularly acute and large historical losses in coastal marine ecosystems. The Community is also concerned that the human influence on the degradation and alteration of the world’s ocean…
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International Day of Biological Diversity – Statement by CARICOM Secretary-General
The year 2018 marks 25 years since the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) entered into force on 29 December 1993 after the 30th ratification. It is significant that five CARICOM Member States ratified the Convention (Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados and Saint Kitts and Nevis) or acceded to it (Saint Lucia) to bring about this significant outcome. From 28…
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