#BBNJ #Treaty #Ratification #Committee
Today, we came together to recognise and commend the #BBNJ #Treaty #Ratification #Committee, co-led by the #Conservation #Society of #Sierra #Leone and the #EPASL, for bringing together diverse priorities across institutional and sectoral lines and working hand in hand with the House of #Parliament to see the #BBNJ instrument ratified. This step gives full domestic effect to our ratification of the #High #Seas #Treaty, establishes the legal framework for the governance of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (#ABNJ), and creates the statutory foundation for the work we will carry out across government and civil society; from marine spatial #planning (and governance), and mandatory #environmental #impact #assessments to equitable #benefit #sharing.
Thanks to the vision of His Excellency the President, the leadership of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Environment, and our partnership with CSSL, the Ministries of Tourism, Fisheries, Local Government, Trade, the Maritime Administration, IMBO, ENFORAC, and others, Sierra Leone now stands proudly among a small number of African nations with enabling legislation for #BBNJ implementation. This achievement strengthens our negotiating position in regional and global alliances, giving us a stronger voice in shaping the future of our oceans.
As a next step, we will prepare a #Lessons #Learned #Note to capture the process we followed, distill the insights gained, and outline the immediate priorities for implementation. This will inform both government decision-making and wider public engagement. We will also work together to define national delivery mechanisms, including the integration of #BBNJ obligations into the #biodiversity #targets now being set through the #NBSAP review, and set firm priorities for coastal and marine adaptation, blue carbon restoration, and robust monitoring, reporting, and verification in our #NDC. This is a landmark moment for our country; one that should make every Sierra Leonean proud.
