The Core Latin American Members (CLAM) in BBNJ negotiations: A case of rule-making influence from the South on the ocean regime

The legally binding International Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity Beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction (known as the “BBNJ Agreement”) is the result of almost twenty years of a multilateral debates (2004–2023). This treaty-making process has revealed, as with many others, the complex relationships between the Global North and Global South, and between Southern States. For the duration of the last Intergovernmental Conferences for the BBNJ agreement (IGC, 2019–2023), Latin America States have become closer, and have exerted rule-making influence in this multilateral process. Some Latin American States (LAS) quickly formed an ad hoc coalition called “Core Latin American Members” (CLAM), which played a decisive role in developing diplomatic strategies of rule entrepreneurship. How has CLAM been influential in the multilateral negotiation of the BBNJ Agreement and for what outcomes? To answer this question, the article will explore two dimensions: first, how this ad hoc coalition was created and how it has operated during the negotiations, including its alignment with other groups; second, what has been the CLAM’s rule-making contribution in the agreement-making process. To carry out the empirical examination, the article used a wide range of qualitative methods, from participant observation (in the IGC 4 and 5) to digital observation (IGC 1–5bis), from semi-structured interviews (with delegates and CLAM members) to process-tracing based on official negotiation documents. This article will contribute to understanding the strategic and relevant continent’s role in the BBNJ negotiations.