General Assembly decision 78/560: Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (sessions of the Preparatory Commission)

Authoritative text

United Nations A/78/L.102* General Assembly Distr.: Limited 25 July 2024 Original: English Seventy-eighth session Agenda item 75 (c) Oceans and the law of the sea: Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction Australia and Belize: draft decision** Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction

The General Assembly, recalling its resolution 78/272 of 24 April 2024, noting that the organizational meeting of the Preparatory Commission for the Entry into Force of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction and the Convening of the First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Agreement was held from 24 to 26 June 2024, requests the Secretary-General to convene the first and second sessions of the Preparatory Commission from 14 to 25 April and from 18 to 29 August 2025, respectively, and to convene at least one session of 10 working days in 2026, on dates to be determined in consultation with the Co-Chairs, with full conference services, including documentation, provision for parallel meetings and overtime, webcast and press and meeting coverage, for the duration of the substantive sessions, and also requests the Secretary-General to make proposals in the context of the proposed programme budget for 2025 in order to strengthen the capacity of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of the Secretariat to continue to provide the Preparatory Commission, including any intersessional work that may be convened by the Co-Chairs, with the assistance necessary for the performance of its work, including meeting and secretariat services and the provision of essential background information and relevant documents.

* Reissued for technical reasons on 7 August 2024.

** In order for the General Assembly to take action on the present proposal, it will be necessary to decide to reopen consideration of agenda item 75 (c).