Exploring the future of the institutional landscape of the oceans beyond national jurisdiction

A comprehensive regime for biodiversity in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) is currently being negotiated at an intergovernmental conference convened by the United Nations. One of the aspects of the negotiations concerns the institutional arrangements of the treaty that is to be developed. Many activities in ABNJ currently are being regulated at the sectoral and/or regional level, raising the question how the institutional arrangements of the treaty are to interact with these existing frameworks. The article first provides some further information on the background to the current negotiations, then looks at the current status of those negotiations and next attempts to sort out and appraise the options for institutional arrangements. Three main approaches have been tabled: a global approach, a regional approach or a combination of the two. The article concludes that the institutional arrangements of the treaty may be the most critical element in accomplishing an effective regime for the sustainability of ABNJ