Andy Raine has been appointed as Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), effective Monday, 1 June 2026. In his role, Mr. Raine will also serve as the Executive Secretary of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS).

The Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) has reached the threshold for entry into force. This historic milestone marks the beginning of a new era for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas—an area covering two-thirds of the world’s ocean.