From COP17 to IMPAC6: Connected High Seas Marine Protected Area Networks

As the international community of MPA managers prepares for IMPAC6, to be held in Senegal in March 2027, the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement offers a unique opportunity to build the partnerships and governance arrangements needed to deliver ecologically representative, well-connected and effectively managed networks of marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction. IMPAC6 will provide a key platform to showcase progress and mobilise the MPA community around future high seas MPAs. The SCDB provides relevant contributions with the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) which facilitates a stronger institutional complementarity between the BBNJ Agreement and the existing international frameworks and bodies (IFBs) with sectoral and regional mandates. The SOI Global Dialogue enables developing early cooperation mechanisms, strengthening mutual understanding of mandates and identifying practical pathways for collaboration between IFBs before the first high seas MPA proposals are submitted by the States.

CBD COP17 represents a critical milestone in this process. As the Convention responsible for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), and particularly Target 3, it provides an opportunity to align biodiversity objectives with the emerging BBNJ architecture and to strengthen cooperation across the institutions responsible for ocean governance.

This side event will present a series of roundtables on concrete recommendations for strengthening institutional complementarity and fostering connected high seas MPA networks, exploring lessons from pilot initiatives. By bringing together governments, regional networks of MPA managers, MPA agencies, public donors, philanthropy and technical partners, the event aims to launch a community of practice that will carry forward cooperation on connected high seas MPAs from CBD COP17 to IMPAC6 and beyond.