Citing the challenges ahead, he further said that developing priorities, resource sharing, research and development, and capacity building are some immediate tasks that must be carried out with regional cooperation. “There is a strong need to leverage regional partnership between the South and South-East Asian countries for capacity building in this direction”, he added.The workshop was attended by diplomats, policymakers and senior marine scientists from South and Southeast Asian countries, including Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste. According to experts, ratification of this treaty is a crucial step in protecting the high seas, which offers scores of services, including climate regulation and enhancing the blue economy. They emphasised the urgency of enhancing marine governance and the need for capacity building and technology transfer to achieve these goals.The workshop is being organised by the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) in collaboration with the High Seas Alliance (HSA) and RISE UP.A set of recommendations will be developed during the workshop for the effective implementation of the BBNJ Agreement in the region, contributing to the global effort to safeguard marine biodiversity and address the challenges posed by climate change.
Source link
