Transcript of Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Keynote Address at the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Symposium 2025, 18 February 2025

Thank you, Ambassador Koh, for your opening remarks.

Excellencies, distinguished guests,

1.         Welcome to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Symposium. I know many of you have travelled long distances to be here, some from as far away as the Americas, Edinburgh, the Pacific Islands, and South Africa.  We are honoured to have Member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas (ITLOS) Judge Thembile Joyini here with us. If Ambassador Rena Lee is described as the ‘mother of BBNJ’, we should describe Professor Tommy Koh as the ‘midwife’ because of his presidency of the third UN Conference that led to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).  I also checked with Judge Joyini – UNCLOS was signed in 1982 but only came into force 12 years later, in 1994. And then, ITLOS, another product of UNCLOS, was established in 1996. So, for those of you privileged to be engaged in this process over four decades, there are very few pieces of international law, entities, and diplomacy which can continue to bear fruit and make such a difference. So Professor Koh and early intrepid pioneers of this – congratulations.

2.         Let me also thank the National University of Singapore Centre for International Law, and colleagues from the University of Edinburgh, for helping to make this Symposium a reality.

Importance of the BBNJ Agreement

3.         It was a pivotal moment when the BBNJ Agreement was adopted by consensus almost two years ago.  Nowadays, things happen so quickly; two years seems like a lifetime.  The fact that we arrived at the decision collectively and by consensus is nothing short of a miracle if you consider the global, political and diplomatic ambience — the zeitgeist of our times, as Professor Koh has alluded to. The zeitgeist of our times is against, or at least, not conducive to multilateralism, and it collides with international law, to making decisions by consensus and by consent. The fact that this was achieved two years ago at the BBNJ negotiations is a win – a win for multilateralism – and it demonstrates that even in these times, or maybe we should say all the more so given the times we are in, it is critical to celebrate that a collective solution could be generated to protect the common resources that lie beyond the jurisdiction of any one country.

4.         The significance of the BBNJ Agreement is not just something abstract.  There are real and concrete implications: the Agreement safeguards the resources of the high seas and the deep seabed. In fact, it is worth remembering that the high seas span nearly 50% of our planet’s surface, or two-thirds of our oceans.  And for Singapore and many other small island states, the oceans are our lifeblood.  Our people, history, economies, and cultures are deeply intertwined with the ocean and the fate of the oceans, and we depend upon the oceans for our survival and our prosperity.

a.          Economically, international shipping constitutes around 80% of world trade, with a significant number of routes passing through areas beyond national jurisdiction. I would like to make a short detour because I keep repeating this factoid: If you unload a container ship that traverses the Suez canal – and modern container ships range between 16 to 18 thousand TEUs – if you unload every container from that ship and try to put it on a train, the train would need to be more than 100 kilometres long. What this illustrates is that even in this age of fibre-optics, jet travel and high-speed trains, there is still no substitute for maritime connectivity, from both an economic and environmental perspective.

b.         The fact that UNCLOS led to the creation of the BBNJ Agreement is also a reflection of how crucial it is to ensure fair and equitable access to all these marine resources. And just as important, and perhaps a dimension which may be forgotten today but is worth emphasising, is that the resources of the deep seabed and the oceans beyond national jurisdiction are in fact the common heritage of mankind. The BBNJ Agreement ensures that the benefits derived from the diverse marine genetic resources (MGRs) of areas beyond national jurisdiction are shared fairly and equitably among States.

c.          There is great potential for MGRs to be used for the development of medicine and pharmaceuticals.  Benefit-sharing, including monetary and non-monetary measures, such as ensuring access to genetic samples, capacity-building, transfer of technology, and increased cooperation, ensure that the benefits are accrued fairly, and that science and research can progress quickly.

d.         Healthy oceans are also crucial in our fight against climate change, the other existential long-term threat for humanity.  The oceans are our largest carbon sink, sequestering 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon a year and absorbing a quarter of all anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions.

 5.         The BBNJ Agreement is important because the oceans are interconnected, and what happens beyond national jurisdiction affect all of us.  Thus, while we have had a good start to the Agreement so far with 108 signatories and 17 ratifications, there is still a long way to go before we reach the magic number of 60 ratifications in order to bring this agreement into force.

Singapore’s Role

 6.         From Singapore’s perspective, we have ratified the Agreement – which makes us one of the 17 that have ratified the Agreement so far – and like many of you, we are working hard to implement it.  The effective implementation of the BBNJ Agreement is necessary if we are going to have a real impact on the conservation and sustainable use of our oceans.  This is why we are hosting this Symposium today – to bring together leading minds and leading lights to show us the way, and for us to be able to exchange ideas and hopefully arrive at some consensus on how to implement it at a time where there is greater division, polarisation, and fracturing of our global system.

7.         Because Singapore is a tiny island city-state, by definition, we have always had to advocate for a rules-based global order and full respect for international law.  For us, multilateralism and international law are not optional; – they are an existential necessity. The BBNJ Agreement is a good example of these principles in operation.  And this time when the world is fractured and polarised, is in fact a time for us to double down and reaffirm these principles, and we need to get it done.

8.         Singapore was proud to play our part in this global effort, including through the strenuous efforts of our Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee, whose able leadership as President of the Intergovernmental Conference helped to bring this Agreement safely into harbour.  Ambassador Lee’s efforts carry on Singapore’s proud tradition of contributing to the development and upholding of international law, and in particular, the law of the sea.  And you already know, Professor Tommy Koh, as well as Professor S Jayakumar, were instrumental in the conclusion and adoption of UNCLOS in 1982.

9.         Singapore remains fully committed to the conservation and the sustainable use of the oceans and our marine resources.  We have made good progress on our voluntary commitments made at the Second UN Ocean Conference in 2022, which relate to safeguarding biodiversity, tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, developing artificial reef structures, and providing training on the prevention of marine pollution and on the law of the sea.

10.      We are also committed to capacity-building for the next generation.  I am glad that we have local tertiary students here at the Symposium today. In fact, just last week, some of them visited our local offshore marine research facility – the St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory – to learn more about marine biodiversity in our immediate waters and our region. These students are our future stewards of our oceans.  I am confident that as long as we can pass the torch and the passion, we will succeed in conserving our oceans for them and future generations to come.

Conclusion

11.      As Ambassador Koh rightly said, UNCLOS and the BBNJ Agreement are inspirations — all the more necessary in times like these.  The turnout we have today is indeed inspiring.  It is a testament to the will and enthusiasm of the international community to strive for the early entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement.  It will require sustained cooperation, a reaffirmation of the commitment to the rule of law, and to more imaginative diplomacy and innovative thinking.  Our oceans, which you saw in the videos earlier before we started, teem with life, beauty, and inspiration. They regulate our climate, protect us from weather, support our livelihoods and indeed our very existence. Our oceans deserve nothing less than our fullest commitment to their protection.

12.      As we forge ahead, I encourage all states that have already ratified the Agreement to share your experiences at this Symposium. And for those who have not yet ratified the Agreement, please persuade your political leaders to do so for your own national reasons as well as collectively on behalf of the entire planet.

13.      I wish you all very fruitful and constructive sessions ahead.  For those of you visiting Singapore for the first time, I hope you get some time out to explore and enjoy our city.

14.      Thank you, and welcome to Singapore.