Under the theme of 鈥淪trengthening the Multilateral Treaty Framework鈥�, the Treaty Event, organized by the Office of Legal Affairs from 24 to 27 September 2024, gathered twenty-five States from all UN regional groups, which, represented by their Heads of State or Government, Ministers or other high-level ranking officials, joined multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General.
Actions during the Treaty Event centered on 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), with 12 additional signatures, and five new ratifications.
鈥淚 am encouraged by the number of additional signatures and ratifications of the [BBNJ]. These actions during the Treaty Event have brought us closer to the entry into force of this instrument which is of crucial importance for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of large areas of the ocean and for addressing the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss鈥�, said Mr. Stephen Mathias, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel.听听
The Event also featured a joint ceremony for the signing and deposit of instruments of ratification to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The ceremony was overseen by the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN听Legal Counsel, with remarks from the UN High Representative and Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, the Representatives from Kazakhstan, South Africa and Uruguay, as well as the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
The Treaty Event also showcased State participation in multilateral treaties that aim at protecting the environment, human rights, as well as those concerning international trade, transport, and cooperation on criminal matters.
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