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Close to 20 more countries have ratified the high seas treaty during the third instalment of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) in Nice, France, which is taking place from June 9th to 13th, 2025. This brings the total number of ratifications to 49. However, this still falls short of the 60 ratifications needed for the treaty to come into force.
UNOC 3 was expected to catalyse nations to catalyse nations into ratifying the high seas treaty, formally called the Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty, which was adopted on June 19, 2023 after two decades of negotiations. France and Costa Rica are co-hosting the UNOC 3 event.
The high seas encompass areas beyond 200 nautical miles from the exclusive economic zones of coastal countries. The treaty aims to increase the percentage of marine protected areas (MPA) on the high seas. Despite covering more than two-thirds of the global ocean, only 1.44 per cent of the high seas are currently protected.
The treaty will also ensure that profits from marine genetic resources (MGR) — materials of plant, animal, or microbial origin — are shared equitably and fairly. These resources find applications in medicine and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the treaty provides ground rules for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), which identify and evaluate the potential impacts an activity could have on the ocean. Carbon sequestration activities or deep-sea mining, for example, will now require an EIA.
A special event, the Special Treaty Event, was held on day one of UNOC 3 to provide states with an opportunity to sign and ratify the agreement, as stated by Elinor Hammarskjöld, UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, at a press briefing on June 9.
Towards the end of the event, 18 countries — Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Malta, Vietnam, Jamaica, Albania, Bahamas, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Fiji, Mauritania, Vanuatu, Greece, and Jordan — deposited their instruments of ratification, according to the High Seas Alliance.
The number of signatories to the treaty expressing their intention to ratify it also increased by 17 to 134. “There is a momentum for the treaty. We are entering into the final stretches,” Hammarskjöld noted. India is yet to ratify the treaty after it signed the agreement in September 2024.
Ratifications can be a slow process. “Negotiators and representatives of the states have to get approval at home and follow the due process in their country. In some countries, like the United States, it has to pass through the Congress, whereas in other countries, the head of state can take that action,” Ashleigh McGovern, Senior Vice President, Center for Oceans at Conservation International told Down To Earth (DTE).
She is optimistic about reaching the 60-ratification mark but is unsure if it will happen this week. “A lot of times, the holdup is the process, and the support needed at home to be able to cross that ratification finish line,” she added.
Implementing the treaty is crucial to achieving the 30x30 target of protecting 30 per cent of the global oceans by 2030. It is one of 23 goals outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by 196 countries in 2022, to halt and reverse nature loss. “We need BBNJ treaty to enter into force. Without governing the high seas, we will not be able to reach 30x30 target,” Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said at UNOC 3 on the sidelines of the Ocean Action Panel.
As of 2 June, only 8.6 per cent of the ocean is reported as protected, according to the latest update from the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). Of this, only 2.7 per cent has been found to be effectively protected, meaning they have regulations and are being actively managed to ensure minimal or no damaging activities, according to the Ocean Protection Gap report, released ahead of the UNOC 3.
In the run up to the UNOC 3, Nichola Clark, Senior officer who leads The Pew Charitable Trusts’ high seas work, told DTE that reaching 60 ratifications at UNOC would be an ambitious task. “Even if we don’t see the payoff of that effort at UNOC itself, I think it will still help us reach that 60th ratification much sooner than we otherwise would have,” she said.
Once 60 ratifications have been reached, two big actions need to be taken, McGovern noted. “First is the conference of the parties (COP) to support the implementation of the high seas treaty. Second, we need to start taking action of issues under those treaties. For instance, identifying and prioritising the critical biodiversity of ecosystems,” she added.
Delegates gathered at the first session of the Preparatory Commission or PrepCom meeting in New York between April 14 and 25, 2025, to develop rules needed to implement the agreement and set the stage for the first Conference of Parties.