Background

A legally binding agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) is the third implementing agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Entry into force in January 2026 marks 20 years since discussions at UN level had begun.  The BBNJ Agreement combines the conservation of marine species and their sustainable use and includes diverse stakeholders in the future design of ocean governance, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities, scientists, industry, and decision-makers. It is a significant step towards comprehensive protection and use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

The Agreement establishes a number of subsidiary bodies and mechanisms for its implementation: a scientific and technical body, providing science and knowledge advice in the process; a clearing house mechanism as a centralized data sharing platform, a financial mechanism, and various committees on benefit-sharing, capacity building and technology transfer, and implementation and compliance. Science and knowledge play a crucial role in the implementation of the agreement and are the focus of this course.  

Course overview and objectives

This online training introduces the BBNJ Agreement and focuses on the role that ocean science and knowledge play for its implementation, including implications for the global community and opportunities for science, services and management in and about ABNJ. 

The course aims to support individuals and institutions of diverse groups in understanding the scientific realities of the ocean and data sharing opportunities (i.e. across maritime zones between countries and different ocean depths; between the Exclusive Economic Zones and High Seas; and across sectors and geographical regions for enhanced cooperation and coordination with and among other instruments, frameworks and bodies). 

The use of science and knowledge on the ocean and its marine ecosystems are particularly evident in operationalization of the Agreement’s processes to assess potential impacts on the marine environment of planned activities, including in considerations for strategic environmental assessments and when assessing cumulative impacts, as well as in the establishment of area-based management tools, including marine protected areas, in the efforts to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity through geographical tools in a dynamic, connected and changing ocean. Additionally, understanding capacity needs, accessing existing capacity building and technology transfer initiatives, provided by different institutions and linking different types of ocean data and information can strengthen our knowledge on marine biodiversity in an interconnected ocean. 

Format and Duration

This is a self-paced online course, comprising various learning resources, activities and assessments, with a total of 20 hours estimated for completion.

Language of instruction: English

Learning outcomes

Course content

The course is composed of three online modules: 

Module 1. Introduction to marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, which provides an overview of natural environment of the open ocean, existing ocean governance framework, and the related ocean science and knowledge.

M1-Lesson 1. Life in the Sea: A connected and changing ocean

M1-Lesson 2. Ocean Biodiversity Governance

M1-Lesson 3. Global Ocean Science & Knowledge

Module 2. BBNJ Agreement in Practice, which covers elements & aims of the Agreement, technical competencies needed for its operationalization across all pillars, and needs and priorities for ocean science.

M2-Lesson 1. Marine Genetic Resources

M2-Lesson 2.  Area-Based Management Tools, including Marine Protected Areas

M2-Lesson 3. Environmental Impact Assessment

M2-Lesson 4. Capacity Building and Transfer of Marine Technology

M2-Lesson 5. Cross-cutting topics

Module 3. Actors, Mechanisms, Data Sharing and Tools under the BBNJ Agreement, which covers opportunities for individuals and nations, pathways for strengthening cooperation and coordination in the implementation of the Agreement, reflections on emerging technologies, and the intrinsic value of marine biodiversity.

M3-Lesson 1. Ocean Cooperation

M3-Lesson 2. Overview of Instruments, Frameworks, and Bodies

M3-Lesson 3. Potential opportunities to engage

M3-Lesson 4. Data and Tools supporting BBNJ Agreement

M3-Lesson 5. Emerging ocean technologies

M3-Lesson 6. The inherent value of marine biodiversity 

Target audience

This course was developed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC), in support of the joint training activities of the Ocean Decade Capacity Development Facility (CDF) and the OceanTeacher Global Academy (OTGA), with funding contribution of the Government of Flanders, Kingdom of Belgium.

The learning materials compile ocean science data, information, and knowledge available globally in support of BBNJ Agreement, supplemented by consultations and contributions of invited experts, institutions, and national authorities worldwide.

Facilitators

This training was developed with the assistance of Dr. Ina Tessnow-Von Wysocki, in collaboration with NaYeon Kim, Dr. Ana Carolina Mazzuco, and Sophie Guibert. 

Learning materials were complemented by various Expert Contributions through interviews or lectures, including: Abbe Brown, Adel Heenan, Abdi Tunggal Priyanto, Adel Heenan, Aimée Komugabe-Dixson, Alice McDonald, Aline Kuehl-Stenzel, Amehr Hakim, Amy Irvine, Anna Metaxas, Ashley Dias, Becky Hitchin, Carlos A. Zuniga, Aurelie Spadone, Clement Mulalap, Cong Bailin, Daniel Kachelriess, David Johnson, Fae Sapsford, Fuad Bateh, Gerald Singh, Harriet Harden-Davies, Hugo Gorziglia, Jaqueline Espenilla, Joelle Richard, Jodi Edwards, Julian Barbierie, Júlia Schütz Veiga, Karen Evans, Laurent Chmiel, Linlin Zhao, Lisa Levin, Lowri Griffiths, Marcel Jaspars, Makrita Solitei, Melissa Abderrahim, Michelle Bender, Olaf Meynecke, Paul DeBruyn, Paul Snelgrove, Peter Burger, Quentin Hanich, Randa Sacedon, Robert Blasiak, Sarah Lothian, Shenghao Liu, Susan Gardner, Thomas Vanagt, Ward Appeltans, Yafeng Yang, and Youngdawng Moh.

Additional contributions are acknowledged within the course materials.

Registration, costs, and technological requirements

This course is offered on a continuous basis, with open registrations as yearly cohorts, with no tuition fees.

To follow this course, participants shall have: 

Assessment & Certificate

This course contains self-paced automated online knowledge checks and assessments. 

In order to successfully complete the course and be awarded a certificate, the following are mandatory: 

• Complete all modules and lessons.  
• Complete all quizzes (80% pass mark, 3 attempts). 
• Complete the pre and post-assessment questionaries. 
• Submit the feedback survey. 

Contacts

For any questions, please contact OTGA Secretariat (ioc.training@unesco.org) always using the name of the course as e-mail subject.

Cancellation policy

In the event of cancellation of the course by the OTGA or its affiliates, we will provide notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date. In the event of cancellation by the attendee, we should receive notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date.