The High Seas Treaty, also known as the agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), was signed in New York on 20 September, in the margins of the United Nations High Level Week.
The adoption of this agreement is a historic achievement marking the successful end of more than a decade of multilateral work. It also 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.
The BBNJ treaty addresses, among other things:
- the conservation and sustainable use of marine BBNJ.
- marine genetic resources, including questions on benefit-sharing (MGR).
- Area Based Management Tools (ABMT), including marine protected areas.
- environmental impact assessments (EIA).
- capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology (CB&TMT).
The Agreement was adopted in New York on 19 June 2023, during the further resumed fifth session of the Intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
The Treaty was set to enter into force 120 days after the date of deposit of the sixtieth instrument of ratification, approval, acceptance or accession. The Agreement was opened for signature in New York on 20 September 2023 and shall remain open for signature until 20 September 2025.
As 81 signatories have already ratified it, the Treaty will soon enter into force. The 81 signatories so far include:
Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
