The discussions set to start Monday are an effort to complete work on a comprehensive international agreement under U.N. auspices that would support conservation and the preservation of marine biodiversity.
The agreement, once reached, would be under 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, and cover waters beyond national boundaries.
The Monday meeting is an outgrowth of the August 2022 effort to create a legally binding instrument that addresses the COP 15 December 2022 Montreal agreement to protect 30 percent of the world's oceans by the year 2030, the so-called "30x30" pact.
The agreement also calls for raising $200 billion by 2030 for biodiversity from a range of sources and working to phase out or reform subsidies that could provide another $500 billion for nature.
Environmental NGO Greenpeace activist Dr. Laura Meller said in a news release that “the oceans support all life on Earth. Their fate will be decided at these negotiations. The science is clear. Protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030 is the absolute minimum necessary to avert catastrophe."
Meller's news release said the points still needing resolution are financing the treaty and its efforts, building capacity, and a fair sharing of the benefits.
This report was sourced from un.org and Greenpeace.org