Brussels has a lot of assets to host the BBNJ Secretariat

The FPS Foreign Affairs - along with the FPS Environment - are leading an intense campaign to host the secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement - on the extensive protection of the high seas - in Brussels.

Belgium's candidacy to host the secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement was unveiled at the Egmont Palace in Brussels on 23 January 2025. This agreement is an international framework to protect and sustainably manage the oceans (see below). We welcomed 124 embassies representing just as many countries! The ambassadors of 72 of these countries were actually in attendance. The event was jointly organised between our FPS and the FPS Environment.

With its bid to host the BBNJ Secretariat, Belgium is aiming to make a concrete contribution to the international community. Indeed, we want to implement the new agreement as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. We are therefore not only calling for robust multilateralism, but actually doing something about it! And this is essential at a time when the multilateral system is under pressure.
 

Independent secretariat

What exactly is this about? 2023 marked a groundbreaking step for a UN agreement that could significantly reduce biodiversity loss in the high seas. The agreement should make it possible to transform 30% of the high seas into marine protected areas by 2030. The high seas cover a vast area - over 64% of the oceans - and fall outside any national jurisdiction. Hence the term marine Biodiversity of areas Beyond National Jurisdiction or BBNJ.

Belgium played a significant role in the establishment of the BBNJ Agreement. The FPS Foreign Affairs coordinated the Belgian position and focused on the more cross-cutting aspects during the negotiations. The Marine Environment Service of the FPS Environment and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences were responsible for the more technical aspects related to the marine environment and marine biology.

One of the points our country secured was that the BBNJ Agreement will have an independent secretariat, separate from the UN umbrella in New York. Indeed, a separate secretariat - with its own budget and staff - means autonomy and clout. And that will be crucial in order to take a stand against the lobby that will oppose the establishment of protected areas on the high seas. It is this secretariat that we want to house in Brussels.

Blue Leader

Our country was also highly active in the long run-up to the agreement in 2023. For example, in 2019, we were one of the initiators of the Blue Leaders, a group of countries working towards the effective protection of at least 30% of the oceans by 2030, and an ambitious BBNJ Agreement.

Together with Monaco, Costa Rica and the High Seas Alliance, Belgium organised several online dialogues during the Corona pandemic. The aim was to maintain contact between states and not to lose focus on the BBNJ negotiations.

Belgium is also committed to the rapid and broad ratification of the UN Agreement. For example, during the Belgian Presidency of the Council of EU, our FPS secured an important agreement at the European level that will speed up the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement.
 

International capital

In addition to our unwavering commitment as Blue Leader for the BBNJ Agreement itself, our country also has internationally-recognised marine expertise and research infrastructure. The standard-bearer in this regard is the Flanders Marine Institute in Ostend, which stands for solid interdisciplinary research of the oceans, seas, coasts and estuaries. With its databases on marine biodiversity, it plays a prominent role in protecting this diversity, which is the very heart of the BBNJ Agreement.

Brussels also offers excellent assets as a base for the secretariat. Our capital city is centrally located and easily accessible from all over the world. More than 180 embassies and diplomatic missions are based here, alongside international organisations such as UN agencies, NGOs and media organisations. As such, it is one of the world's leading diplomatic centres. Moreover, with its 180 nationalities and more than 100 languages, it is the most cosmopolitan city in Europe.
 

UN Ocean Conference in Nice

We therefore have a lot of assets to convince UN member states to opt for basing the BBNJ Secretariat in Brussels. In the coming months, our FPS - together with our network of embassies and consulates - will assiduously promote these assets. For the time being, Chile is the only opposing candidate.

The first-ever Conference of the Parties (COP1) will decide on the location of the secretariat. And COP1 will take place within a year of the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement. The agreement will come into effect 4 months after at least 60 countries ratify it.

We are already looking forward to the UN Ocean Conference in Nice (June 2025). The goal is that by then all EU member states, as well as the EU, will ratify the BBNJ Agreement. That would be a huge step forward for the final entry into force of the agreement.