SEN. Loren Legarda said she would seek a Senate consensus on the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty or The High Seas Treaty to ensure long-term preservation of oceans.
The senator said 2024 marked significant milestones in her climate action agenda as she led initiatives that reinforce her commitment to resilience and sustainability.
The BBNJ agreement is the first comprehensive treaty on the high seas, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
It covers marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits; measures such as area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; environmental impact assessments; capacity building; and the transfer of marine technology.
Legarda raised the importance of protecting the country’s water resources “in alignment with our commitment to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030 under the High Ambition Coalition.”
In a statement, she said that she is committed to push in 2025 for the Senate concurrence to the BBNJ treaty to ensure the preservation of oceans’ biodiversity, “safeguarding them for generations to come.”
Following the passage of the Blue Economy bill at the Senate on third reading, Legarda said she supported the French Embassy’s Blue Nations Initiative along with other activities she helped fund through the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“These efforts are integral to our participation for the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, France, this coming June 2025,” Legarda said.
She noted that Sylvia Earle, a renowned marine biologist and founder of Mission Blue, visited the country last year, wherein they discussed the “vital need to preserve the Verde Island Passage, one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world.”
In collaboration with CCC and the Asian Institute of Management, she launched the Sustainable Leadership Learning for Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction, a scholarship program designed to empower climate and disaster resilience leaders through AIM’s Executive Master in Disaster Risk and Crisis Management program.
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