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Africa: After Nearly 20 Years of Talks, UN Delegates Sign High Seas Treaty
UN News, 5 March 2023
Secretary-General António Guterres has congratulated UN member countries for finalizing a text to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity… Read more »
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Africa: A Last-Ditch Effort to Save a High Seas Treaty From Sinking
IPS, 20 February 2023
When the United Nations began negotiations on a legally binding treaty to protect and regulate the high seas, one diplomat pointedly remarked: "It's a jungle out… Read more »
Deal on Protecting Marine Biodiversity Reached
After two decades of negotiations, UN member countries have agreed on a final text that will work towards the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
A new round of negotiations on the much-awaited United Nations High Seas Treaty for conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) began in New York February 20, 2023.
Although the origins of the proposed treaty go back to 2002, the initial negotiations began in 2018. The discussions will include four elements of the 2011 package that have guided the negotiations, namely marine genetic resources (MGRs), questions on benefit-sharing, area-based management tools (ABMTs), marine protected areas (MPAs), environmental impact assessments (EIAs), capacity building and the transfer of marine technology (CB&TT).
The high seas are regions that lie outside of the exclusive economic zones of littoral states, which have a 200 nautical mile boundary. According to experts, the high waters make up more than two thirds of the world's ocean and are home to about 270,000 species. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, at least 41% of marine species are threatened by climate change, and over 1,550 aquatic creatures and plants are at risk of going extinct.
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