The BBNJ Agreement was adopted by consensus at the United Nations (UN) on 19 June 2023 and the UK signed the Agreement when it opened for signature on 20 September 2023. The Agreement cements the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the key legal framework for ocean governance. It aims to enable greater conservation of the two-thirds of the ocean that lies beyond national jurisdiction and will support the delivery of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – that includes the target to effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Primary legislation, and subsequent secondary legislation, is required before the UK can ratify the Agreement to ensure compliance with its obligations.
	The BBNJ Agreement:
establishes new obligations to share the benefits of research into, and utilisation of, marine genetic resources (MGR) from areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) and digital sequence information (DSI) on those MGR;
establishes a mechanism to designate area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPA), in ABNJ;
builds upon provisions in UNCLOS requiring environmental impact assessments for planned activities in ABNJ;
strengthens capacity-building for developing states, along with broader marine technology transfer;
makes clear that the BBNJ Conference of the Parties should work with and alongside existing bodies such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and its work must be consistent with the provisions of UNCLOS.
	The following paragraphs provide further detail on the structure and the content of the Act.
Policy Background