Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps the Government is taking to encourage other countries to ratify the Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement.
The UK continues to be proactive in supporting other, particularly developing, countries, to implement and ratify the Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement. The UK has provided a significant contribution to the BBNJ Voluntary Trust Fund to enable participation by developing countries in UN discussions on preparatory work. The UK also continues to support the BBNJ Informal Dialogues, discussions that bring together participants from a wide range of countries online to discuss implementation. The UK also co-funded and organised a workshop for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to share best practice and support the implementation and ratification of the BBNJ Agreement in the Philippines on 15-17 November.