STATEMENT BY
DR. NOORSYAZWANI ZULKIFLI
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF MALAYSIA
AT THE INFORMAL WORKING GROUP OF THE PREPARATORY COMMISSION FOR THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE AGREEMENT UNDER THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA ON THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF MARINE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF AREAS BEYOND NATIONAL JURISDICTION AND THE CONVENING OF THE FIRST MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE AGREEMENT
THURSDAY, 24 APRIL 2025
Thank you Co-Chairs,
1. Malaysia appreciates the valuable discussions and perspectives shared yesterday. In reiterating our previous statements, we wish to provide additional remarks concerning the agenda item on the Clearing House Mechanism.
2. In the spirit of collaboration and effective progress, Malaysia expresses its support for establishing an open-ended informal working group, subject to an appropriate mandate, comprised of technical experts. Malaysia views that this group should encompass individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to ensure a comprehensive approach to the design and development of the Clearing House Mechanism.
3. Malaysia also recognises the importance of developing a comprehensive flow chart to effectively illustrate the connections among the Clearing House Mechanism, Secretariat, subsidiary bodies, and pertinent instruments or frameworks.
4. Malaysia holds the view that the Clearing House Mechanism should be operationalised in phases, with core functions first. In this regard, Malaysia supports the incremental approach in relation to setting up the Clearing House Mechanism for the BBNJ Agreement. Such an approach allows the phased development, iterative testing and continuous refinement of core functionalities before full-scale deployment. It allows expansion of features over time while initially concentrating on developing the core features that need to be in place from the beginning.
5. Malaysia further believes that the Clearing House Mechanism should also emphasise the importance of the human elements behind the system, as dedicated human resources are crucial for supporting its functions and maintaining technical support, taking into account the special circumstances of developing countries.
Thank you.