(NEWS) WMU Stakeholder Consultative Workshop on BBNJ Agreement at COLP48

September

2025

WMU Stakeholder Consultative Workshop on BBNJ Agreement at COLP48

On 9 September, the World Maritime University – Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) hosted a Stakeholder Consultative Workshop under the framework of the Ireland - WMU-GOI BBNJ Clinic Programme titled “Supporting Indian ocean and African SIDS and Coastal LDCs' BBNJ Efforts” during the 48th Annual Conference on Oceans Law & Policy (COLP48), held in New Delhi, India.

The goal of the workshop was to identify key legal and institutional challenges in ratifying and implementing the BBNJ Agreement, to explore regional opportunities for collaboration and capacity development, and to share perspectives on how the BBNJ Clinic Programme can best support Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the region to transpose BBNJ obligations into domestic law. Nearly 40 distinguished experts, policymakers, and legal advisors from across the African and Indian Ocean regions were in attendance.

Professor Ronán Long, Director of the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, opened the event highlighting that the BBNJ Agreement is nearing 60 ratifications. He emphasized the crucial role of SIDS in this process, and how the BBNJ Clinic can provide valuable support. Dr. Ríán Derrig, WMU Assistant Professor, followed with an outline of the main aims of the BBNJ Clinic programme, including reviewing the efforts to date, and emphasized that input from SIDS and coastal LDCs, as well as consideration of regional and local needs, are central to facilitating ratification and implementation of the Agreement. He further noted that the Clinic’s success depends on strong partnerships, and that the workshop would be instrumental in developing upcoming training opportunities to advance BBNJ Agreement efforts in the Indian Ocean region.

A session led by WMU Assistant Professor, Dr. Aspasia Pastra, delved into regional perspectives on advancing BBNJ ratification and implementation. Contributions included presentations from Dr. Paul Debruyn (Indian Ocean Tuna Commission), Dr. Rizza Joy Dejucos (High Seas Alliance) and Mr. Tim Andrew (Nairobi Convention Secretariat. ), who respectively showcased various efforts that are ongoing in the Indian Ocean Region in support of BBNJ Agreement ratification and how challenges may be addressed.

The final session was moderated by WMU alumnus, Dr. Kahlil Hassanali (Institute of Marine Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago), in which participants engaged in a preparatory consultative roundtable that synthesized key challenges for Indian Ocean and African SIDS as well as coastal LDCs. Through key guiding questions, the rich discussion addressed the challenges in the region and explored solutions by identifying regional partners to co-design and co-host the forthcoming BBNJ Clinic Training Workshop.

The WMU-GOI BBNJ Clinic team is compiling input from the successful side event into a report which will serve as the basis for the organization of the next training workshop in the Indian Ocean region.

Learn more about the BBNJ Clinic Programme as well as the side event and access the Post event material via the BBNJ Clinic website here.
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About COLP48

The 48th Annual Conference on Oceans Law & Policy (COLP48), taking place from 9–12 September 2025, was hosted by Gujarat Maritime University in partnership with the WMU-GOI and the Stockton Center for International Law of the U.S. Naval War College. This year’s theme, “Developing World Approaches to Ocean Governance: Perspectives from the Indian Ocean Rim”, offered a valuable forum to address pressing legal and policy issues in maritime governance, security, and sustainability.

Learn more: https://colp.world/

About the BBNJ Clinic Programme
Jointly supported by Ireland and WMU-GOI, the BBNJ Clinic assists Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in ratifying and implementing the BBNJ Agreement. The Clinic offers legal and policy support to ensure inclusive participation in ocean governance.

Learn more and access post-event materials: https://bbnjclinic.wmu.se/

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