DE5 | Chile and its Bid to Host the BBNJ Agreement Secretariat
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Chile is proposing the city of Valparaíso as the permanent headquarters for the BBNJ Agreement Secretariat (the agreement on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, BBNJ for its acronym in English). The BBNJ Agreement, also known as the “High Seas Treaty,” was adopted on June 19, 2023, and is pending entry into force once 60 countries ratify it; our country ratified this treaty on January 17, 2024, becoming the second country to do so.
Having actively participated in its development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially submitted Chile’s candidacy to host the BBNJ Secretariat in Valparaíso on March 9, 2023, highlighting the opportunity to decentralize the institutional framework of the United Nations and enhance the southern region of the world, with local scientific, technological, and economic benefits.
To this end, the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Gloria de la Fuente, reaffirmed the candidacy in February of this year during events such as the forum on the “Peace Boat” and the signing of the “Valparaíso Declaration,” subscribed to by the Government and the Regional Council of Rectors; subsequently, in April 2025, the Preparatory Commission met in New York to advance in defining operational mechanisms, also addressing the location of the Secretariat, although without making a final decision.
France, for its part, expressed its official support for the Valparaíso candidacy during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Chile in November 2024, highlighting the advantages of our country over Brussels, Belgium, which is also proposing itself as an alternative to host the BBNJ Secretariat.
