Belgium and Chile agree on joint bid to host BBNJ Secretariat
Belgium and Chile have decided to combine their bids to host the Secretariat of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). The two countries will cooperate to translate global commitments to protecting the high seas into action and ensure the swift implementation of the agreement's provisions.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot announced that he and his Chilean counterpart had agreed to combine their applications to host the Secretariat. Prévot said the cooperation aimed to "turn the global commitment to protecting the high seas into action."
Under the joint bid, the Secretariat is expected to operate in Valparaíso, Chile, and carry out its core functions there, including making the financial mechanism operational. The physical and technical infrastructure of the agreement's Clearing-House Mechanism will be established and operated in Brussels.
Belgium and Chile also offered to provide continuity in hosting meetings of the subsidiary bodies, in accordance with the relevant decisions of the agreement's first Conference of the Parties (COP1). The plan is to draw on Brussels' position as a diplomatic hub for these meetings.
The two countries will continue working with all parties and observers to contribute to the successful implementation of the BBNJ Agreement.
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