Intervention by the Republic of the Maldives on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States in the second session of the preparatory committee for the development of an international legally binding instrument under the UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction – Informal working group on Marine Genetic Resources, including questions on the sharing of benefits
26 August 2016
Mr. Facilitator,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), a coalition of 44 small island and low-lying coastal countries that naturally have a strong and vested interest in oceans, which are critical to our sustainable development and growth. We align with the remarks made by the Kingdom of Thailand in their capacity of Chair of the G77 and China.
First and foremost, we would like to recognize your able leadership, and thank you for diligently guiding us through this new and challenging process of developing a legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. In this regard, we also thank you, in your capacity as the Chair, for the very useful overview following the first preparatory committee, as well as the list of questions to guide us through the discussions in the informal working groups.
We wish to emphasize that AOSIS has come together to engage and contribute constructively to the process, as there are specific capacity constraints that all SIDS share and the special case of SIDS needs to be taken into account when elaborating this instrument. The AOSIS delegations are keen to make further progress.However, we wish to highlight the capacity restraints that member states face in engaging in this process here in New York. As the process is intrinsically technical, we require expertise and support from our respective capitals to engage effectively, but often the resources to facilitate this participation aren’t available. We recognize the special voluntary trust fund established under General Assembly Resolution 69/292 for the purpose of assisting developing countries, including small island developing States to attend the meetings of the Preparatory Committee and the intergovernmental conferences. However, we note with concern that we have been unable to utilize this fund for this meeting as the funds were realized too late, which has, to an extent inhibited our ability to engage at the optimum level that we would desire. Therefore, we would like to underscore the importance of expeditiously operationalizing the fund, and mobilizing finances for our effective participation in this process in the future.
Mr. Facilitator,
This is the first time we are engaging in this process as AOSIS, and we are keen to work to explore the various issues under consideration with a view to crystallizing our various options. However, for our group, certain elements are foundational and others must be given full consideration in our deliberations.
Firstly, the principle of common heritage of mankind remains at the core of this discussion on MGRs. Different elements from this principle will inform our discussions onMGRs, including capacity building, so that the special case of SIDS can be addressed for the benefit of present and future generations, which for us, is one of the foremost objectives of Resolution 69/292.
Secondly, marine scientific research and the benefits arising from them, have vast potential. However, the capacity and capability to conduct this research and access the knowledge that stems from it, remains in the hands of very few countries. In this regard, and to decrease the disparities the current system creates, we need a two-pronged approach. First, meaningful capacity building for developing states, particularly small island developing states, is required to ensure that there is a level playing field,which will also greatly benefit SIDS domestically. Secondly, an equitable and just mechanism for benefit sharing from a monetary and non-monetary perspective needs to be ensured.
Lastly, we wish to emphasize that the providers of capacity building, both generally and in the context of Marine Genetic Resources should not be restricted to States, but should also extend to other relevant institutions and organizations. It should also extend beyond the transfer of “hard technology” to also include the transfer of knowledge.
With this I thank you, and we look forward to engaging in this process in the coming weeks. We would like to reiterate our support to the Chair and to the Facilitators and are keen to listen to and engage with other delegations.