Nigeria has finalised domestic arrangements to ratify a landmark international treaty designed to protect marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. The country disclosed this on Thursday during the UN General Assembly’s Sixth Committee debate on the rule of law at national and international levels.

Nigeria said it had signed the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction and completed domestic preparations towards ratification. The agreement establishes a legally binding framework for conserving and sustainably using marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Addressing the committee, Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to international law, sovereign equality and peaceful settlement of disputes.

The delegation cited Nigeria’s compliance with the International Court of Justice’s October 2002 judgment awarding sovereignty over the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon. Nigeria subsequently withdrew its administration from the peninsula and affected border communities in compliance with the judgement.

The delegation said the two countries also concluded the 2006 Greentree Agreement to facilitate peaceful implementation of the ruling under international supervision.

Nigeria maintained that its handling of the dispute demonstrated respect for binding international judicial decisions, including unfavourable outcomes. The country, however, expressed concern that structural inequalities continued to restrict developing countries’ participation in international legal processes.

It identified limited technical capacity and unequal access to expertise as obstacles confronting developing countries in international dispute settlement.

Nigeria consequently called for increased investment in legal capacity-building, treaty negotiations and participation in international courts and tribunals. The delegation also reaffirmed its commitment to judicial reform, institutional accountability and improved access to justice domestically.

It stressed that respect for national sovereignty and consistent application of international law remained indispensable to an equitable international legal order.

(NAN)