By Abdullah Momand
Pakistan on Monday signed a United Nations (UN) agreement aimed at conserving marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the Foreign Office (FO) said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the 鈥淎greement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction鈥 (BBNJ Agreement) at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The BBNJ pact is the third implementing agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), which was adopted in 1982 and entered into force in 1994.
Pakistan signing the BBNJ agreement 鈥渞eflects on its commitment to multilateral cooperation and protection and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction鈥, the FO noted in a statement.
The BBNJ agreement was adopted on 19 June 2023 by an intergovernmental conference.
鈥淧akistan played a leading role in the negotiations to finalise the treaty,鈥 the FO highlight