An overview of the conference.

The fifth session of the intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological persity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) concluded on August 27 (Hanoi time) after two weeks of sitting.

The Vietnamese delegation, led by Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, gave substantial proposals and contributions to the draft BBNJ instrument as well as the negotiations on issues that directly relate to Vietnam's rights and interests at sea.

The fifth session saw progress in all discussing issue groups.

Participants agreed to convene the next session as soon as possible with a hope to concluding negotiations for the document on conservation and sustainable use of biopersity in seas beyond national jurisdiction.

The BBNJ negotiation, which officially started in April 2018, is one of the most important negotiation processes currently in the field of sea and ocean, in the context of the international community's efforts to implement the United Nations Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development, especially the realisation of Goal 14 (SDG 14) on the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

This will be the third document on the implementation of UNCLOS besides the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement and the Agreement on Implementation of Part XI of UNCLOS in 1994. The BBNJ negotiation also plays an important role in strengthening the UNCLOS-based system in the governance of seas and oceans, ensuring sustainable development for all countries and future generations.