UN adopts historic treaty to protect the high seas – 06/19/2023 – Environment

UN Member States approved on Monday (19) the first treaty to protect the high seas, an essential agreement to preserve the life and health of the oceans, vital to humanity.

“The agreement has been adopted,” declared conference chair Rena Lee to applause.

“The ocean is the lifeblood of our planet. Today it has gained new life and new hope to have a fighting chance”, said UN Secretary General António Guterres, who hailed it as a “historic achievement”, but recalled that the work “isn’t over yet”.

“I ask you to spare no efforts for the agreement to enter into force,” he added.

Despite the adoption, Russia “distanced” from the consensus by classifying some parts of the text as “totally unacceptable”.

For the Chilean Chancellor, Alberto van Klaveren, the approved text is “essential for the governance of the oceans, based on justice and inclusion”, while for Venezuela it is a “victory for the countries and peoples of the south”.

For Mexico, it means a “commitment to the international rule of law”.

Cuban diplomat Yuri Gala López, who spoke on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, highlighted the “battle” waged by southern countries to include some key aspects of the agreement, concluded in March after more than 15 years of negotiations.

The agreement creates a legal framework to extend environmental protection zones to international waters, which make up more than 60% of the world’s oceans.

Action plan

For Liz Karan, of the NGO Pew Charitable Trusts, the adoption of the treaty “establishes an action plan for the next steps”.

Oceans produce much of the oxygen we breathe, limit climate change by absorbing CO_two and harbor areas rich in biodiversity, even at microscopic levels.

“Healthy oceans, from coastal waters to the deep sea and high seas, are an integral part of human health, well-being and survival”, recently defended a group of scientists in the scientific journal The Lancet.

However, with a large part of the world’s oceans outside the EEZ (exclusive economic zones) of countries and, therefore, within the jurisdiction of each State, creating protection for the high seas required international cooperation.

marine reserves

Despite the fact that the high seas represent about half of the planet, it was ignored for a long time in environmental struggles, which focused on coastal areas and on some emblematic species.

A key tool of the treaty will be the ability to create marine protected areas in international waters. Currently, only about 1% of the high seas are under conservation measures.

The treaty is considered essential for countries to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, as agreed by the world’s governments in a pact signed in December in Montreal.

Officially known as the “Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction” treaty, the pact also introduces requirements for carrying out studies on the environmental impacts of planned activities in international waters.

Although these activities are not detailed in the text, they would include fishing, maritime transport and more controversial objectives such as mining in deep areas or even geoengineering programs to combat global warming.

The treaty also establishes principles for sharing the benefits of marine genetic resources from the high seas, obtained in expeditions and research in international waters, a point that almost caused the failure of negotiations in March.

Developing countries, which in general do not have the resources to finance expensive research, struggled not to be deprived of these benefits that many see as a great future market, especially in the search for “miracle molecules” for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry.

After its formal adoption, the ball is now in the hands of countries that will be able to sign and ratify it as of September 20th. Sixty ratifications will be required for it to enter into force.

The NGOs are confident, as the coalition for this treaty has 50 countries, including the European Union, Chile, Mexico, India and Japan.