The Government has approved the ratification of the agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, widely known as the BBNJ Agreement.

Sri Lanka has dispatched the required documentation to be deposited for the ratification of the agreement, which will likely take place tomorrow (15) as scheduled.

When contacted, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Thushara Rodrigo confirmed to The Sunday Morning that approval from the Cabinet of Ministers had been received for the ratification of the BBNJ Agreement. 

“Sri Lanka will deposit instruments for ratification on Monday as scheduled,” Rodrigo stated, adding that more information would be released post ratification and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would work as the focal point for the BBNJ Agreement.

The agreement, hailed as a global win for nature and mankind, is an international accord that extends several key environmental protections to the high seas. It creates a legal foundation for conserving and sustainably managing the plants and animals that inhabit the high seas.

Sri Lanka’s ratification process will require more diligent work in Colombo, with domestic legislation needed to be crafted with input from a wide range of stakeholders and subject matter experts. 

Much of the work on ratifying the BBNJ Agreement is coordinated by the Ocean Affairs, Environment, and Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.