The Maldives has expressed its full support for China's proposal to establish the secretariat of the United Nations Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) in China.
The Maldivian government's support was announced in an official statement delivered yesterday by the Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the UN, Ali Naseer Mohamed, during the third Preparatory Commission (PrepCom 3) meeting on the BBNJ agreement currently underway at the UN. In his statement, the representative praised China's proposal, noting that it is a robust and practical offer that demonstrates China's capability and readiness to implement the BBNJ agreement fully and effectively.
China has proposed establishing the BBNJ Secretariat in Xiamen, a coastal city in its Fujian province. In addition to China, Belgium and Chile have also submitted proposals to host the BBNJ Secretariat.
The decision by the Maldives to support China's proposal to host the BBNJ Secretariat is in line with the policy of further strengthening and consolidating the 'Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership' (2024-2028) between the Maldives and China.
Based on the latest information and diplomatic discussions disclosed by official missions, the main reasons for the Maldives' support for China's proposal are:
Capability and Readiness: The Maldives praised China's "practical proposal," which includes the infrastructure and technical capabilities available in Xiamen City, to fully and effectively implement the international treaty on oceans or the High Seas Treaty.
Interests of Small Island Developing States (SIDS): As a leading country among Small Island Developing States, the Maldives views China's commitment to transferring marine science and technology and capacity building as highly beneficial for the equitable management of ocean resources.
Geopolitical Stability: The Maldives supported this proposal following high-level agreements between the two countries. This includes a 600 million renminbi development assistance package formulated in December 2025.
Delegates from 86 countries that have ratified the treaty are participating in the third session of the BBNJ Preparatory Commission, which is taking place at the UN Headquarters from March 23 to April 2, 2026. During these meetings, delegates are primarily discussing matters related to the practical implementation of the treaty. This includes establishing arrangements for a permanent secretariat, setting up financial mechanisms, and determining the procedures for holding the first Conference of the Parties (COP-1). Furthermore, delegates are discussing and reviewing the "practical proposals" submitted by countries bidding to host the secretariat and the agreements to be made with those countries.
The final decision on the specific location for the BBNJ Secretariat will be made at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties, scheduled for January 2027.
The Maldivian government signed the treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) on September 4, 2024, and ratified it on September 24, 2024. The Maldives is among the first 10 countries to ratify this treaty and is the first country in South Asia to do so.
The BBNJ treaty establishes procedures for protecting large marine areas. Additionally, the treaty includes provisions related to sharing technical marine information and taking action on climate change. As these are crucial for protecting the benefits derived from the Maldives' maritime territory, participating in this treaty will bring immense benefits to the Maldives.
While protecting all natural resources within the Maldives' maritime territory is a very high responsibility of the Maldives, ensuring that the areas outside the Maldives' maritime territory are protected and used sustainably is part of fulfilling that responsibility.
