The high seas are areas of oceans that lies beyond countries’ national waters. These are the largest habitat on Earth and home to millions of species
Representative photo from iStock Governments meeting at the United Nations (UN) in New York City reached agreement on key substantive issues for a new Treaty to protect marine life in the high seas March 4, 2023.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed the news in a tweet:
I'm extremely encouraged that countries have agreed on the UN legally binding instrument to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 5, 2023
This is an important step to protect our oceans.
The high seas are areas of oceans that lies beyond countries’ national waters. These are the largest habitat on Earth and home to millions of species.
The High Seas Alliance, a partnership of organisations aimed at building a strong common voice and constituency for the conservation of the high seas, said in an official statement:
With currently just over one per cent of the high seas protected, the new treaty will provide a pathway to establish marine protected areas in these waters. It is also a key tool to help deliver the recently agreed Kunming-Montreal target of at least 30 per cent protection of the world’s ocean by 2030 that was just agreed in December — the minimum level of protection scientists warn is necessary to ensure a healthy ocean. But time is of the essence.
The Alliance statement added that the new treaty will bring ocean governance into the 21st century, including establishing modern requirements to assess and manage planned human activities that would affect marine life in the high seas as well as ensuring greater transparency.
“This will greatly strengthen the effective area-based management of fishing, shipping and other activities that have contributed to the overall decline in ocean health,” it added.
The issue of sufficient financing to fund the implementation of the Treaty, as well as equity issues surrounding the sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources was one of the key sticking points between North and South throughout the meeting.
However, right up to the final hours of the meeting, governments were able to land an agreement that provided for equitable sharing of these benefits from the deep sea and High Seas.
Rena Lee, UN Ambassador for Oceans, who signalled the formation of the treaty as she brought down the gavel, summed it up: “The ship has reached the shore.”
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