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United Nations Legal Counsel, Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, delivered opening remarks at the third session of the Preparatory Committee established by General Assembly resolution 69/292: Development of an international legally binding instrument 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 

27 March 2017


On 27 March 2017, Mr. Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, delivered opening remarks at the third session of the Preparatory Committee established by General Assembly resolution 69/292: Development of an international legally binding instrument 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 Preparatory Committee was established to make substantive recommendations to the General Assembly on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument under the Convention, and, by the end of 2017, will report to the Assembly on its progress. The first and second sessions of the Preparatory Committee were held in 2016. Pursuant to resolution 71/257, the third session is being held from 27 March to 7 April, and the fourth session of the Preparatory Committee is scheduled to be convened from 10 to 21 July 2017.

Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, delivered opening remarks at the third session of the Preparatory Committee established by General Assembly resolution 69/292

Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, delivered opening remarks at the third session of the Preparatory Committee established by General Assembly resolution 69/292: Development of an international legally binding instrument 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.

In its resolution 69/292, the General Assembly decided that, before the end of its seventy-second session, and taking into account the aforementioned report of the preparatory committee, it would decide on the convening and on the starting date of an intergovernmental conference, under the auspices of the United Nations, to consider the recommendations of the Preparatory Committee on the elements and to elaborate the text of an international legally binding instrument under the Convention.