Madame President,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Federated States of Micronesia. Allow me to align this statement with the previous statements delivered by the distinguished delegate of Palestine on behalf of the G77 and China, the distinguished delegate of Belize on behalf of AOSIS, the distinguished delegate of Nauru on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum, and the distinguished delegate of Fiji on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing

2. My delegation joins other delegations in expressing our solidarity with you, Madam President, and conveying our collective appreciation for your unquestionable leadership during this IGC2. In the view of my delegation, your skills and professionalism led us to a successful conclusion of this substantive session following two weeks of intense deliberation.

3. Like other delegations in this room, the Federated States of Micronesia looks forward to seeing an implementing agreement for BBNJ that best reflects and takes into consideration our present challenges and hopes for future solutions to global challenges affecting humankind with respect to conservation and sustainable use of the BBNJ.

4. In the course of this IGC2, my delegation spoke of the conservation and sustainable use of Ocean resources with a growing sense of urgency. While we are debating on the proper formulation and wordings of a BBNJ instrument, our people on the islands are fighting the exacerbated impacts of climate change; and I wish everyone to know that my people need immediate solutions to their daily It is our hope that the implementing agreement of the BBNJ takes into consideration the adverse and cumulative impacts of climate change by filling in critical gaps of the Convention with respect to this most pressing topic

5. Additionally, as expressed in various forums and conveyed during the informal working group deliberations, the prevailing conditions of Small Island Developing States like Micronesia are extremely fragile taking into consideration our growing dependence on the Ocean and its resources. Our people are very concerned about the potential disproportionate burden that conservation of the BBNJ could create and also the “incompatibility” between the national conservation measures and BBNJ measures that might be established as a result of this implementing agreement. We urge all delegations to keep this in mind for future substantive sessions to avoid unintended unjust and inequitable outcomes of this negotiation.

6. Moreover, we shall not rest on advancing the usage and recognition of preexisting wealth of knowledge—in particular, traditional knowledge—to complement science in fulfilling the objectives of conservation and sustainable use of BBNJ. While we are very pleased that several sections of the President’s Aid to Negotiations reflect upon this topic, nevertheless, we hope Madam President that the next document from you will amplify further the linkages between science and traditional knowledge and incorporate innovative ways of further enriching traditional knowledge through capacity building and inclusive processes under a BBNJ instrument.

7. Madam President, we continue to urge delegates to give consideration on the concept of the common heritage of mankind and sharing of benefits. These important concepts best reflects the collective desire of humankind to achieve conservation and sustainable use of BBNJ while sharing the benefits at the same time. We look forward to further exchanges on this topic in the next session.

8. Furthermore, we would like to see a more concise document, preferably a zero-draft, prior to the commencement of IGC3 that would allow delegations more focused textual negotiations and drafting exercise. It is our hope and expectation that this new document containing treaty articles and provisions will build upon the growing convergence of ideas and solutions that we have accomplished up to this IGC2.

9. Madam President, my delegation joins the sentiment of the Pacific Islands Forum and other delegations in this room in advancing “adjacency”. My delegation is very pleased that we are gaining significant traction on this area, and we are seeing very promising outcomes of our efforts as reflected in the various sections of the President’s Aid to Negotiations that reflect this important concept. It is our expectation that for the next substantive session of the IGC the next document from the President will continue to reflect, and even amplify, our aspirations and ideals.

6. In conclusion, it is our further expectation that this BBNJ negotiation process will lead us to a reasonably balanced document that is enriched with perspectives and formulations that best reflect practical reality, especially for the Small Island Developing States.

Thank you.