Maldives ratifies UN pact on biodiversity, convention on mercury
Parliament approved the ratification of both the agreement and the convention on May 13.
Maldives foreign minister Moosa Zameer on Tuesday deposited the instrument of ratification for the agreement 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 (BBNJ Agreement) and the Instrument of Accession for the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
It was held in the UN headquarters in New York.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu decided to seek parliamentary approval to join the Minamata Convention on Mercury on December 11.
Maldives signed the BBNJ Agreement on September 3.
Parliament approved the ratification of both the agreement and the convention on May 13. Following this event, the Maldives has become the eighth country to ratify the BBNJ Agreement and the 150th country to accede to the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
"The government of Maldives is committed to ensuring the protection and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources, as well as to the protection of lives, livelihoods, public health and the environment from the release of toxic heavy metals such as mercury," Maldives' foreign ministry said in a statement.
The BBNJ Agreement, adopted in the UN General Assembly in 2013, is open for signature until September 20, 2025.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury was adopted by the international community in 2013 under the auspices of the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP).
