Chile and Belgium said on Friday they have joined their separate bids to host the secretariat of the United Nations' high seas treaty - the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) - proposing the Chilean port city of Valparaiso as the headquarters and Brussels as the base for the treaty's information-exchange mechanism, the two countries said in a joint statement reported by Reuters.

Source: Reuters, Nov 6, 2026 (Santiago)

Under the merged bid, Valparaiso would host the secretariat's main functions, including implementation of the treaty's financial mechanism. Brussels would house the physical and technical infrastructure for the information-exchange (clearing-house) mechanism and host meetings of the treaty's subsidiary bodies, Belgium's Belga news agency reported. The countries said the joint bid aims to 'facilitate an effective decision' at the treaty's first Conference of the Parties (COP1).

Source: Belga news agency, Nov 6, 2026; Reuters, Nov 6, 2026

A treaty covering two-thirds of the ocean

The BBNJ Agreement, adopted in 2023 after more than a decade of negotiations, protects marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction - about two-thirds of the ocean's surface. It entered into force on 17 January 2026, 120 days after the 60th country ratified it, Belga reported. COP1, where the headquarters decision will be taken, is scheduled in New York from 11 to 22 January 2027.

Source: Belga, Nov 6, 2026; Reuters, Nov 6, 2026

The merged bid leaves one rival standing: China's Xiamen. Chile entered the race first, in 2023, arguing that Valparaiso would bring the first global UN body to Latin America; Belgium campaigned on Brussels' diplomatic density - it already hosts more than 40 international organisations and much of the European Union's government. China, which entered in January 2026, has offered to provide office premises and accommodation in Xiamen for free and to cover the first five years of utility costs, according to background reporting on the race.

Source: Dialogue Earth, background on the host race (updated Aug 2026)

What is solid

  • Chile and Belgium announced a joint bid on Friday Nov 6, in a joint statement reported by both Reuters and Belga
  • Valparaiso is proposed for the secretariat's main functions including the financial mechanism; Brussels for the information-exchange infrastructure and subsidiary-body meetings
  • The seat will be decided at COP1 in New York in January 2027, with China's Xiamen as the rival candidate

What is only claimed

  • The joint bid improves the Valparaiso-Brussels chances only if COP1 parties accept a split-site secretariat - the decision still requires the conference's vote in January
  • Background reporting notes Chile's current government has suspended dozens of environmental measures approved under its predecessor, a point rival campaigns may use against the Valparaiso bid
What happens next

The choice now goes to COP1 in New York, 11-22 January 2027 - the new treaty's first formal meeting, which must also settle how the secretariat relates to the UN and how it is financed. A Valparaiso-Brussels win would put the high seas treaty's home in the Global South with a European technical base; a Xiamen win would give China the centre of global ocean governance. Either way, Friday's merger turns a three-way race into a straight contest.