Chile and Belgium have merged their competing bids to host the secretariat of the UN agreement protecting biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna presented the arrangement as a stronger joint candidacy, placing the principal headquarters in Valparaíso and technical functions in Brussels.
The Valparaíso office would perform the secretariat's main administrative responsibilities and help operate the treaty's financial mechanism. Brussels would host the physical and technical infrastructure of the Clearing-House Mechanism, the platform intended to exchange scientific, legal and implementation information among parties.
The Belgian capital could also host meetings of subsidiary bodies, using its dense diplomatic network while preserving Valparaíso as the institutional centre. This division turns two national offers into a complementary structure and reduces the risk that their votes cancel each other during the selection process.
The BBNJ agreement was adopted in 2023 after roughly a decade of negotiations and entered into force in January 2026. It governs conservation and sustainable use across areas beyond national jurisdiction, which cover about two-thirds of the ocean and cannot be protected effectively by coastal states acting alone.
The first Conference of the Parties will meet in New York from January 11 to 22, 2027 and choose the location. China's Xiamen remains the competing candidate, giving the decision a geopolitical dimension alongside questions of cost, accessibility, scientific capacity and regional representation.
Pérez Mackenna and Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot must now persuade parties that a split arrangement will improve rather than complicate administration. Clear authority, secure data systems and predictable financing will be necessary so that distance between headquarters and technical infrastructure does not fragment governance.
Hosting would strengthen Chile's profile as a Pacific and ocean-policy actor while keeping Brussels embedded in implementation. The bid's real value, however, lies beyond prestige: the chosen secretariat must help countries establish protected areas, share marine knowledge and enforce rules in waters no state owns.
