Excellencies, Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for coming here to our joint event celebrating action to protect biodiversity in the global ocean. Many thanks to the High Seas Alliance for organising and for all the active engagement from all the co-sponsors.

The BBNJ Agreement is now a lot closer to entry into force. It is a milestone achievement for biodiversity in the High seas, for international ocean governance and is a beacon of hope for multilateralism. Many States have rushed to finish their ratification processes. I am very proud of the European Unions ratification of the BBNJ. I am grateful to all the countries who have ratified to date, including all the parties who are doing so today. I call on all other parties to do so, urgently, as there is no time to lose to protect our ocean.

I am also happy to announce that the EU is relaunching the High Ambition Coalition for BBNJ together with the co-chairs the Seychelles and Palau. I would like to thank them both for their leadership and collaboration. We presented a Declaration of the High Ambition Coalition. 37 countries have already subscribed to this text and joined the Coalitions relaunch; many more have expressed interest. I hope that all States with high ambitions for the BBNJ Agreement can get behind it.  

More than simply keeping the momentum, the Coalition could become a platform for countries with different perspectives, but united in their ambition, to share experiences and seek support for future proposals and ideas.  

The BBNJ Agreement will need a collaborative approach to be efficient. New and old partnerships will be needed. The High Ambition Coalition is certainly one that we hope can contribute to this dynamic.

We need to step up our collective efforts to meet the target of the Global Ocean Framework to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.

Lastly, I would like to announce that the EU is walking the talk on ocean protection. Today, we announce the start of the first tranche of the EUs Global Ocean Programme. With a budget of 40 million euros, the Global Ocean Programme is the largest programme in the world seeking to support the implementation of the BBNJ and biodiversity in the High Seas and the Area.  It recognises the key contribution the High Seas can bring to sustainable development across the Globe.

The first part of this programme, 10 million euros, includes an on-demand Technical Facility, implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which I would like to thank for their excellent work.  

The programme will support partner countries in ratifying and implementing the BBNJ Agreement in all its aspects, to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction in the broad sense and to share the benefits of marine genetic resources. It shows the EUs commitment to build capacity and meet the objectives of the Agreement.