Sri Lanka is scheduled to sign the United Nations agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) on 20 February, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said.

When asked, the MFA confirmed that the agreement, which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in December last year, will be signed this Thursday in New York.

On 23 December 2024, cabinet approval was given to the signing of the Convention on Biodiversity of the areas situated beyond the national territory, which was proposed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism. The convention was seconded in 2023 by the Summit on Ocean Biodiversity, which came about as a result of concerns about threats to biodiversity caused by human activities in developed countries.

Concerns of maritime pollution follow reports that 26 ships polluted Sri Lankan waters in the past year, based on data from a satellite monitoring – OSDS (Oil Spill Detection Sri Lanka) project conducted in collaboration with the French Government support and the Maritime Domain Awareness platform provided by the French company CLS.