Antigua and Barbuda has reaffirmed its commitment to ocean protection following two weeks of intensive negotiations at the United Nations where the country played an active role in the third session of the Preparatory Commission for the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty.
Held from March 23 to April 2 in New York, the government said important progress was made at the conclusion of the session but acknowledged that key gaps remained in advancing the treaty toward full operationalization.
Antigua and Barbuda noted in a Facebook statement that it remained “fully committed” to bridging those gaps and continuing to advocate for strong, equitable, and effective ocean governance.
The BBNJ Treaty, also known as the High Seas Treaty, entered into force in January 2026, providing the first legally binding framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in international waters.
For island states like Antigua and Barbuda, the government said the oceans are a lifeline, sustaining people, economies, and futures.
Asha Challenger, First Secretary at Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Mission (screenshot of UN TV)
The session was the final preparatory stage before the first Conference of the Parties (COP1), expected in January 2027, where the agreement will become fully operational.
Leading the delegation was Asha Challenger, First Secretary at Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and Vice President of the Preparatory Commission.
She was supported by Legal Officer Darius Joseph of the Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (ADOMS) and Crown Counsel I Zachary Phillips from the Office of the Attorney General.
Challenger intervened on the floor on several occasions across the two weeks, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Her engagement centred on issues that cut to the heart of how the treaty will function in practice and who will benefit from it.
The first was the Special Fund, a dedicated pool of money intended to ensure that developing countries share in the financial benefits when marine genetic resources found in international waters are commercially exploited.
Challenger noted that CARICOM supported the establishment of an ad hoc committee to design the fund’s rules and get it operational before COP1.
When proposals surfaced that would have restricted the ad hoc committee’s access to the Voluntary Trust Fund which is the mechanism that covers the cost of bringing developing country delegates to treaty meetings, Challenger reiterated CARICOM’s stance that the committee was created by the COP, just like every other body under the treaty, and should be treated no differently.
Singling it out for special restrictions, she said, would effectively make it harder for developing countries to participate in the very body designing the rules for how they share in the benefits of their own ocean resources.
The second issue was the financial relationship between the Conference of the Parties and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which is expected to play a central role in funding the treaty’s implementation.
Negotiations on how much guidance the COP could give the GEF, and what role a Finance Committee would play in reviewing the treaty’s budget, occupied much of the two weeks.
Challenger, in her interventions, raised concerns about the absence of timelines in the proposed arrangement, telling the room that it would be “a big challenge for us to remain silent on the timeline” and that the treaty’s preparatory process presented the opportunity to address that gap “for the benefit of us all.”
CARICOM also opposed giving the Finance Committee expanded powers before that body has been formally established, arguing it made no sense to define the role of a committee that would not be operational before the first COP.
Darius Joseph, Legal Officer of the Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (screenshot of UN TV)
The third issue was the Voluntary Trust Fund itself — specifically, which countries qualified for financial support to attend treaty meetings.
CARICOM’s position was that eligibility should be limited to state parties rather than the broader category of signatories.
Challenger also confirmed CARICOM’s support for a practical mechanism under which the secretariat would consult with the Bureau whenever there was not enough money to fund all participation requests.
On the cooperation framework for implementing the treaty, Zachary Phillips led the interventions for Antigua, stating during the April 1 talks that CARICOM was concerned that over-prescriptive language in the draft text risked limiting the agreement’s effective implementation.
He called for a flexible approach that would “allow for cooperation arrangements to adapt to emerging needs and priorities that evolve over time.”
Meanwhile, Darius Joseph delivered CARICOM’s closing statement at the session’s conclusion, expressing appreciation for the progress made while articulating the region’s disappointment at what remained unresolved.
He noted that “SIDS in this PrepCom have had to fight for the operationalization of special circumstances of SIDS at every step,” and told delegates that the recognition of those special circumstances “is not and has never been a tool for us to seek additional benefits at the expense of others. It is a matter of equity.”
He added that CARICOM’s “resolve remains unshaken” and that the region looks forward to working with all partners before and at the first Conference of the Parties to close the remaining gaps.
Zachary Phillips, Crown Counsel I from the Office of the Attorney General (screenshot of UN TV)
The Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations commended the delegation’s efforts following the session’s conclusion, saying Challenger’s leadership continues to elevate the voice of small island states and that Joseph and Phillips brought critical legal and policy expertise to negotiations.
The country said it will continue to champion the protection of its oceans for generations to come.
Great to see A&B youth holding it down at the UN, alongside the rest of CARICOM.