NICE, France — During the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, an additional eighteen nations ratified the High Seas Treaty on Monday, increasing the total number of ratifications to 49. This development leaves the treaty just 11 countries short of the 60 needed to initiate the crucial ocean protection agreement. This progress signals a possible transformation in global governance over international waters.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the urgency of the moment, stating, “The entry into force is within our sight, and I call on all remaining nations to join swiftly. We do not have a moment to lose.”
The High Seas Treaty, officially the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, marks the first legally binding effort to safeguard marine biodiversity in international waters. These areas, which fall outside the control of any individual nation, constitute nearly two-thirds of the ocean and cover almost half of Earth’s surface. Previously, no cohesive legal framework existed to establish marine protected areas or ensure conservation efforts on the high seas.
The necessity for this treaty arises from increasing concerns about the impact of overfishing, climate change, and the looming threat of deep-sea mining on these remote waters. Environmentalists caution that without adequate protections, marine ecosystems in international regions could suffer irreversible damage. “Until now, it has been the wild west on the high seas,” commented Megan Randles, the global political lead for oceans at Greenpeace. “Now we have a chance to properly put protections in place.” The treaty is also pivotal for meeting the global “30×30” pledge, which aims to conserve 30% of the planet’s land and sea by the year 2030.
Under the treaty, nations can establish marine protected areas beyond national jurisdictions, enforcing regulations on hazardous activities like deep-sea mining and geo-engineering. It fosters cooperation by creating frameworks for technology sharing, funding mechanisms, and scientific collaboration among nations. Notably, the treaty’s decisions will not be made unilaterally by any single country but rather through multilateral conferences of parties (COPs).
Once the treaty garners 60 ratifications, a 120-day period will commence, heralding its official enactment. This will enable the formal designation of high seas protected zones and begin implementing oversight mechanisms. As of now, 49 countries, along with the EU, have ratified the treaty, positioning it just 11 short of the threshold needed to initiate this countdown. Guterres hailed the rapid progress as “a record,” highlighting that the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea took 12 years to take effect, while the current treaty appears set to do so in just over two. “I see a momentum and an enthusiasm that was difficult to find in the past,” he remarked.
Following ratification, the inaugural Conference of the Parties (COP1) will need to convene within a year of the treaty’s activation. This conference will be crucial for setting implementation protocols, making decisions on governance, financing, and establishing essential bodies to evaluate marine protection proposals.
Environmental organizations are lobbying for not just meeting, but surpassing the required 60 ratifications promptly, emphasizing that a broader coalition of countries will strengthen the treaty’s implementation and global representation. Only nations that ratify by COP1 will be eligible to vote on crucial governance matters for the treaty. “To reach 60 ratifications would be an absolutely enormous achievement, but for the treaty to be as effective as possible, we need countries from all over the world to engage in its implementation,” explained Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance. “So the next step will be to go from 60 to global.” The recent surge in ratifications has sparked optimism that 2025 could be a pivotal year for high seas protection. “We’re on the brink of making high seas history,” Hubbard added.