August 2018 Policy Brief on Capacity Development as a Key Aspect of a New International Agreement on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) By Biliana Cicin-Sain, Marjo Vierros, Miriam Balgos, Alexis Maxwell, Meredith Kurz, Global Ocean Forum; Tina Farmer, FAO, Lead Technical Officer, GEF/FAO/ GOF Capacity Development Project; Atsushi Sunami, Miko Maekawa, Iwao Fujii, Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF); Awni Benham, International Ocean Institute; Julian Barbiere, Salvatore Aricò, Kirsten Isensee, Ward Appeltans, Harriet Harden-Davies, Intergovernmental Ocean- ographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO); Aimee Gonzales, Stephen Adrian Ross, Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEM- SEA); Alfonso Ascencio Herrera, Chapi Mwango, Annekah Mason, International Seabed Authority; Ronán Long, Larry Hildebrand, World Maritime University (WMU); Philippe Vallette, Nausicaa/World Ocean Network; Joseph Appiott, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Yugraj Yadava, Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation; Kouete Koffi Afachawo, Office of the Special Adviser of the President of Republic of Togo; Margaret Chizoba, Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria; Kanako Hasegawa, UN Environment; Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Wahab, Department of Fisheries, Malaysia; Andre Polejack, Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Communication, Brazil; Lizanne Aching, Trinidad and Tobago; Jenny Bowie-Wilches, Embassy of Colombia in The Netherlands; Transform Aqorau, Advisor, Parties to the Nauru Agreement; Rudolf Hermes, former Chief Technical Advisor, Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project (BOBLME); Dominique Benzaken, Advisor, Government of Seychelles; Laleta Davis-Mattis, University of the West Indies, Jamaica; Nguyen Chu Hoi, Vietnam National Univer- sity; Abou Bamba, Abidjan Convention; Rose Lesley Kautoke, Attorney General’s Office, Government of the Kingdom of Tonga; Bojotlhe Butale, International Law Unit of the International and Commercial Division, Attorney General’s Chambers, Botswana. Prepared with the support of: Global Ocean www.fao.org/in-action/commonoceans Forum 2 Policy Brief on Capacity Development as a Key Aspect of a New International Agreement on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) By Biliana Cicin-Sain,* Marjo Vierros,** Miriam Balgos, Alexis Maxwell, Meredith Kurz, Global Ocean Forum; Tina Farmer, FAO, Lead Technical Officer, GEF/FAO/GOF Capacity Development Project; Atsushi Sunami, Miko Maekawa, Iwao Fujii, Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF); Awni Benham, International Ocean Institute; Julian Barbiere, Salvatore Aricò, Kirsten Isensee, Ward Appeltans, Harriet Harden-Davies, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO); Aimee Gonzales, Stephen Adrian Ross, Partner- ships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA); Alfonso Ascencio Herrera, Chapi Mwango, Annekah Mason, International Seabed Authority; Ronán Long, Larry Hildebrand, World Maritime University (WMU); Philippe Vallette, Nausicaa/World Ocean Network; Joseph Appiott, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Yugraj Yadava, Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation; Kouete Koffi Afachawo, Office of the Special Adviser of the President of Republic of Togo; Margaret Chizoba, Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria; Kanako Hasegawa, UN Environment; Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Wahab, Department of Fisheries, Malaysia; Andre Polejack, Ministry of Science, Technology, Innova- tion, and Communication, Brazil; Lizanne Aching, Trinidad and Tobago; Jenny Bowie-Wilches, Embassy of Colombia in The Netherlands; Transform Aqorau, Advisor, Parties to the Nauru Agreement; Rudolf Hermes, former Chief Technical Advisor, Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project (BOBLME); Dominique Benzaken, Advisor, Government of Seychelles; Laleta Davis-Mattis, University of the West Indies, Jamaica; Nguyen Chu Hoi, Vietnam National University; Abou Bamba, Abidjan Convention; Rose Lesley Kautoke, Attorney General’s Office, Government of the Kingdom of Tonga; Bojotlhe Butale, International Law Unit of the International and Commercial Division, Attorney General’s Chambers, Botswana. *Dr. Cicin-Sain is the Lead Organizer of the Policy Brief and the Project Manager of the GEF/FAO/GOF Project on ABNJ Capacity Development. **Dr. Vierros is the lead Researcher/Writer of the Policy Brief. This is a multi-author, multi-institutional effort, led by the GEF/FAO/GOF Capacity Devel- opment Project and its Communities of Practice, involving a set of 40 Authors, contributing in their personal capacities. The Policy Brief addresses the challenges of capacity building, relevant international prescriptions on capacity development, discussions on capacity in the BBNJ process so far, existing efforts in capacity building relevant to BBNJ, financing capacity building for BBNJ, a possible clearing-house mechanism, and possible modalities for linking capacity efforts at global, regional, and national levels. The paper is intended to contribute directly to the discussions at the Intergovernmental Conference on development of an inter- national legally binding instrument under UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). August 2018 I II Table of Contents Acknowledgements . iv 5.1 Introduction ................................27 List of Boxes, Tables, and Figures . v 5.2 Examples of existing clearing-house mechanisms ................................28 List of Acronyms . vi 5.3 What aspects of existing clearing-houses POLICY BRIEF OVERVIEW . vii could be useful for a new International 1 . THE CHALLENGE OF CAPACITY Agreement for BBNJ? ........................31 DEVELOPMENT REGARDING BIODIVERSITY 5.4 Lessons learned from implementing BEYOND NATIONAL JURISDICTION . 1 clearing-house mechanisms ...................32 1.1 What capacity is required to effectively implement 5.5 Operationalizing a clearing-house the new International Agreement? ...............1 mechanism for BBNJ. 33 1.2 Whose capacity will need to be developed? ........2 6 . FINANCING CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT 1.3 What do we know about capacity needs FOR BBNJ . 37 and gaps? ...................................2 6.1 Introduction ................................37 1.4 Pathways to capacity development ...............2 6.2 Possible sources of financing ..................37 1.5 Capacity development and marine genetic 6.3 Examples of public financing mechanisms resources ....................................3 and their operation ..........................39 1.6 Linking capacity development and technology 7 . POSSIBLE MODALITIES AND APPROACHES transfer .....................................3 FOR LINKING GLOBAL, REGIONAL, AND 2 . RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL PRESCRIPTIONS NATIONAL PROCESSES ON BBNJ . 47 ON CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT . 7 7.1 Regional contexts, needs, and modalities for 2.1 UNCLOS provisions ..........................7 capacity development ........................47 2.2 Other relevant international obligations ..........8 7.2 Regional needs for capacity development ........49 3 . REVIEW OF WHAT HAS COME OUT OF THE BBNJ 7.3 Proposed regional modalities ..................52 PREPCOM PROCESS . 11 7.4 Linking the global, regional and 3.1 Scope of and modalities for capacity band national levels ..............................54 technology transfer ..........................11 7.5 National context, needs, and possible 3.2 Intergovernmental conference on BBNJ ..........14 modalities for capacity development ............54 4 . EXISTING EFFORTS IN CAPACITY 7.6 Possible modalities for national capacity DEVELOPMENT BY UNITED NATIONS, development: Establishing nationally determined INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, goals (NDGs) for BBNJ in line with the new International Agreement ......................55 NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE ACADEMIC SECTOR RELEVANT 7.7 Linking national and regional modalities for TO BBNJ . 17 capacity development and technology transfer ....57 4.1 Introduction ................................17 7.8 Leveraging existing efforts in capacity development and technology transfer ...........57 4.2 Existing capacity building efforts by UN and international organizations ...................18 8 . ADDITIONAL RESEARCH . 61 4.3 Existing capacity building efforts by 8.1. Summary of major elements and linkages on civil society .................................18 capacity development ........................61 4.4 Scientific collaboration .......................21 8.2. Some possible directions for additional research/ work on capacity development and the BBNJ 4.5 National efforts related to ocean science and Intergovernmental Conference .................62 their impacts on international scientific collaboration in support of the International ANNEX . EXISTING EFFORTS ON CAPACITY Agreement .................................21 BUILDING AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN ABNJ: RESULTS FROM 2018 SURVEY . 65 4.6 Sharing of data and information ...............23 5 . A POSSIBLE CLEARING-HOUSE MECHANISM FOR BBNJ: CONSIDERATIONS AND LESSONS FROM EXISTING CLEARING-HOUSES . 27 III Acknowledgements We express our sincere gratitude to all the colleagues In particular, the extensive collaboration and support noted below for their many contributions to this joint provided by the following colleagues is acknowledged multi-author Policy Brief Capacity Development as a with sincere thanks.