Fijian environmental lawyer and Women Leading and Influencing (WLI) alumna Maria-Goreti Muavesi is feeling “optimistic that we are almost at the finish line” after representing the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in negotiations over the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty.
Travelling to the United Nations headquarters in New York in August 2022, Maria-Goreti was part of an IUCN delegation providing support to Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS). They also equipped negotiators with scientific and legal advice, “with the hope that this [would] be the last Intergovernmental Conference negotiating a draft treaty”.
Despite negotiations not leading to a treaty “for the conservation and sustainable use of the marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdictions”, Maria-Goreti believes “a lot of progress was made by negotiators through the amazing work of the President, Facilitators, State Members and all present at the 5th Intergovernmental Conference”.
Travelling to the United Nations headquarters in New York in August 2022, Maria-Goreti was part of an IUCN delegation providing support to Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS). They also equipped negotiators with scientific and legal advice, “with the hope that this [would] be the last Intergovernmental Conference negotiating a draft treaty”.
Despite negotiations not leading to a treaty “for the conservation and sustainable use of the marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdictions”, Maria-Goreti believes “a lot of progress was made by negotiators through the amazing work of the President, Facilitators, State Members and all present at the 5th Intergovernmental Conference”.
“While disappointing, we are optimistic that we are almost at the finish line,” explains Maria-Goreti, “We must keep the momentum and resume IGC5 as soon as possible to complete the great work done in the past two weeks and in previous intergovernmental conferences.”
According to the IUCN, a resumption of the Treaty negotiations is expected pending imminent approval from the United Nations General Assembly.
“We need to protect, conserve and promote sustainable use of our oceans and especially areas that are beyond our national jurisdictions - the High Seas,” adds Maria-Goreti.
Before travelling to the UN, Maria-Goreti also attended the International Seabed Authority Assembly meeting in Kingston Jamaica.
She is currently the Head Environmental Legal Officer at IUCN and recently celebrated nine years of work with the Union.
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Maria-Goreti Muavesi is an alumna of WLI's prestigious Women’s Developmental Leadership Program.
