Decision COP 15/25

The Conference of the Parties

1. Acknowledges that, following the requests from the Conference of the Parties at its tenth and eleventh meetings, the Executive Secretary has successfully completed the series of regional workshops, covering most of the world’s ocean, facilitating the description of 338 areas meeting the criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas;

2. Expresses its appreciation to all Parties, other Governments, organizations and stakeholders that have contributed to this process, and encourages continued efforts to describe areas meeting the criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas using the best available scientific information, and to increase the number and coverage of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas around the world;

3. Expresses its gratitude to the Government of Sweden for hosting the Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas in the North-East Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Governments of Denmark, France, Germany and Sweden for providing financial support for the workshop, and the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission for providing valuable scientific and technical input;

4. Welcomes the summary reports prepared by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its twenty-third meeting, which are annexed to the present decision and are based on the report of the Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas in the North-East Atlantic Ocean;

5. Requests the Executive Secretary to include the summary reports in the EBSA repository, and to submit them to the United Nations General Assembly and its relevant processes, as well as Parties, other Governments and relevant international organizations, in line with the purpose and procedures set out in decisions X/29, XI/17, XII/22, XIII/12 and 14/9.