Streamlining Global South and Landlocked Countries for Marine Biodiversity: Few Options for BBNJ Implementation

People vs. Planet? The Global South’s Role in Marine Conservation

A prevailing global assumption  suggests that  the global south’s commitment to  people centered global goals (ranging from SDG 1 to SDG 5) is inextricably linked to its engagement with the preservation of the global common goods (Liu, Lee, and Alden 2022). One of the issues of the global commons, marine biodiversity conservation, is a planet centered goal and is an ideal testing ground both for the Global North and the Global South. In relation to this, recently I asked a well-known professor in Aquatic ecology about the significance of marine biodiversity in comparison to inland waterbodies (such as lakes, reservoirs and rivers).  He contended that the high significance of biomass makes the oceanic diversity highly unmatched with the inland waterbodies. Being adopted In 2023, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement was adopted and it marked a major step forward in global ocean governance. The treaty sought coordinated conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The agreement is reaching the 60-ratification threshold necessary for entry into force by the 80th UN General Assembly from 23–29 September.

To date, studies have uncovered that BBNJ has become a niche for several international organizations (Langlet and Vadrot 2023), yet it demands the engagement of all, including the Global North and the Global South, coastal and landlocked. In this piece, we will treat Africa (as a prototypical Global South) and Ethiopia (as a quintessential landlocked country that is currently aggressively aspiring for access to the sea).

Streamlining Africa for Marine biodiversity

As marine biodiversity is at the forefront of receiving impacts of climate change,  scholars like Bull and Banik (2025) argue, that the Global South including Africa are rising to be frontliners of climate justice. With over 35 African countries having signed the agreement, and nine ratifying BBNJ, Africa is well-positioned to play an influential role in shaping the agreement’s entry into force and implementation. But further progress is needed to secure widespread ratification and to prepare for effective participation in the early conferences of the parties. What would the buy in be for African countries that struggle to achieve human centered goals, while ensuring contribution to planet centered goals such as marine biodiversity?

Here I want to highlight what I concur with Naidoo et al (2025) who argued that through successful implementation of the BBNJ agreement, Africa can have a unifying legal framework. The implementation of the framework would encompass marine genetic resources and benefit-sharing, area-based management tools such as marine protected areas, environmental impact assessments, and capacity building alongside technology transfer.

Streamlining landlocked countries [such as Ethiopia] for BBNJ

As scholars like Sebuliba (2024) argue, being  landlocked is not merely a fixed geographical condition rather a situation shaped by historical & political ties. This perspective became particularly relevant to me on 9 Sept 2025,  during a side event at the African Climate Summit hosted by institutions like  IUCN to lobby for the BBNJ . The moment that triggered me was how the world should consider biodiversity beyond merely putting their signature on paper. The series of presenters unquestionably has taken for granted as if the whole world benefit out of signing and implementing the BBNJ agreement.

Provoked by this framing, I posed a question:  what would be the buy-in, and direct incentive for land locked countries like Ethiopia and Malawi to domesticate marine biodiversity agreement? The response was revealing; I learned that land locked countries can partner with coastal countries for marine conservation. This leads me to a broader question: could Ethiopia, in light of this non-geographic understanding of being landlocked, become an additional participant in the race for marine biodiversity governance?

Building on this premise, I will respond to two questions: How can Ethiopia benefit from the BBNJ agreement?  And perhaps more importantly what can Ethiopia contribute to the BBNJ?

These questions led me to think what the feasibility of streamlining Ethiopia’s regulatory capacity in marine biodiversity would be, given the nation’s demand for access to the sea. Notwithstanding the political contestability of how this access might be achieved, this blog article operates on two premises:  i) the access to the sea is driven more by evolving socio-demographic pressures than  political ambition (Tekuya 2024), ii) under the BBNJ agreement, land locked countries likes Ethiopia have a stake in marine biodiversity (Sebuliba 2024).

The way forward

The implementation of BBNJ must engage a wide range of experts, not least international lawyers and environmental scientists who should co-lead the agenda. Marine biodiversity is neither a luxury for the Global South nor a secondary concern for landlocked countries like Ethiopia. It is an issue that demands their voice, their institutional innovation and their active stake.

For Africa, recommitting policy attention to marine  biodiversity demonstrates the continent’s potential to play a leading role in planet-centered goals alongside its quest for achievement in people centered development goals.

References

Bull, Benedicte, and Dan Banik. 2025. “The Rebirth of the Global South: Geopolitics, Imageries and Developmental Realities.” Forum for Development Studies. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08039410.2025.2490696.

Liu, Hong, Celia Lee, and Chris Alden. 2022. “The Dynamics of Governance and Sustainable Development Goals in the Global South.” Global Policy 13(S1):5–10. doi:10.1111/1758-5899.13075.

Sebuliba, Solomon. 2024. “The Landlocked Ocean: Landlocked States in BBNJ Negotiations and the Impact of Fixed Land-Sea Relations in Global Ocean Governance.” Frontiers in Marine Science 11. doi:10.3389/fmars.2024.1306386.

Tekuya, Mahemud Eshtu. 2024. “Swimming against the Current: Ethiopia’s Quest for Access to the Red Sea under International Law Essay.” Fordham International Law Journal 47(3):301–28.