JEAIL > Volume 11(1); 2018 > Regional Focus & Controversies
Research Paper
Published online: May 30, 2018
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14330/jeail.2018.11.1.06

Registration of BBNJ Research Activities: A Move towards Transparency in Research Governance

Mary George & Anneliz R. George
Faculty of Law, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Corresponding Author: maryg@um.edu.my

ⓒ Copyright YIJUN Institute of International Law
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract
The Prep Com recommended in July that the UNGA initiate a negotiating conference on areas beyond national jurisdiction. It is widely expected to make such a decision. Then, the long haul negotiation will begin. The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not regulate marine genetic resources in areas beyond the national jurisdiction of States (BBNJ). Part XIII of the Convention could accommodate BBNJ research, but not its governance. The triangulation of three factors-the interim absence of an international framework for governance of BBNJ research, an indirect reference to this issue in the on-going BBNJ deliberations on access and benefit sharing and an interim laissez-faire attitude in BBNJ exploration and exploitation-leads to a need for transparency in governance of BBNJ research activities. To address this lacuna, a United Nations Register on BBNJ Research Activities is recommended, encouraging scientists from all regions including Asia to engage in BBNJ research.

Keywords : Governance, Marine Scientific Research of Bbnj, UNCLOS, Deep Seabed Area, Registration Convention

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