The High Seas Treaty, also known as the agreement on “Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction” or “BBNJ”, was signed in New York on September 20th, alongside the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week NYC.
In addition to the EU, many countries signed the treaty.
The agreement provides for the common governance of “about half of the Earth’s surface” and “95% of the ocean’s volume”, the largest habitat on our blue planet, to:
- promote equity and fairness
- tackle environmental degradation
- fight climate change, and
- prevent biodiversity loss in the high seas
This historic agreement marks the successful end of more than a decade of multilateral work. It complements the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which provides the legal framework under which all human activities in the ocean take place.
Image: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signs the High Seas Treaty next to Pedro Sánchez, Spanish Prime Minister.
“President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have signed the High Seas Treaty on behalf of the EU, leading by example other countries to do the same. It is a historic day for the protection of the High Seas!” said Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius. “But we need to keep working towards a swift ratification, with the hope that the treaty can enter into force by the June 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France.”
The text of the treaty was agreed in March 2023 and formally adopted on June 19th, by consensus, at UN Headquarters in New York. It will enter into force after 60 ratifications.
Source: European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
