The Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group on the Study of Conservation and Sustainable Use of BBNJ was established by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 59/24 in 2004, which exchanged views on institutional coordination, the necessity of short-term measures, the handling of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU) and destructive fishing methods, marine genetic resources (MGRs), marine scientific research (MSR) on marine biodiversity, marine protected areas and environmental impact assessments.

The meeting adopted the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and Article 30(c) of the plan sets out the global goal of establishing a representative marine protected area in 2012.

The United Nations Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement) takes effect on December 11, 2001.

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources was established to begin the management of fishing activities in Antarctic waters.

The Convention is regarded as the “constitution of the ocean”. It delimits the national jurisdiction over the oceans
and establishes the International Seabed Authority, which manages the mineral resources of the international seabed on behalf of all mankind and ensures the benefits of future development of seabed mineral resources in the high seas can be shared with all human beings.

The meeting began the first round of treaty-based ocean lawmaking in which different countries participated in as equals. The conference adopted four conventions on the law of the sea: the Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, the Convention on the High Seas, Convention on the Fishing and Conservation of High Seas Biological Resources and the Continental Shelf Convention. These four conventions are also known as the “Geneva Conventions”, and most of the rules they form are traditional customary rules of the law of the sea.