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{
    "id": 1618886,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1618886/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 313,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support ratification of this Agreement. As the Mover said, this Agreement was adopted in June 2023 in New York. So far, almost 123 countries have signed onto it and about 26 have ratified it. Therefore, we should not delay. As was noted by the Committee, Kenya stands to benefit a lot. With the signing and ratification of this Treaty, we will be bound to pay certain fees towards the running of the secretariat. But we stand to benefit as a country that borders the seas and as a developing country. The Agreement has a compendium of issues, including environmental impact assessments, marine genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits. As the Mover and the Chairman of the Committee noted, this Agreement covers the area beyond 200 nautical miles from the coastline. This is an area that would naturally be construed as no-man’s land. If there is no treaty to govern such an area, it is bound to be abused by many people. This Treaty establishes a framework to ensure equitable sharing of benefits of marine resources including fishing and minerals. Upon ratification, it will be critical that we align all our laws, regulations and administrative procedures to match the obligations of this Agreement. That is a challenge for the Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation and the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs. That includes legislation on environmental protection, ocean governance and biodiversity in the sea. As we said, it is also possible for anyone to argue The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}