With a month left in his mandate before Donald Trump moves into the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden has taken a significant step towards strengthening global marine protection by transmitting the High Seas Treaty to the Senate for ratification.
Known as the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), aims to protect vast ocean areas that lie beyond national jurisdictions, covering approximately two-thirds of the world’s oceans. It is the third implementing agreement to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an international treaty establishing rules for using the world’s oceans and their resources.
“The Agreement will create a mechanism to establish marine protected areas in ABNJ, a vital step in the global effort to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030,” President Biden stated in his December 18 message to the Senate.
He added: “The Agreement also includes provisions ensuring that Parties conduct rigorous environmental impact assessments for their activities in ABNJ and provisions on capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology related to the Agreement. The Agreement is key to supporting the sustainable use of marine resources, maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems, and conserving marine biological diversity. Implementation of the Agreement will respect the competences of and not undermine other international bodies and will require consultations with those organizations to enhance cooperation and coordination on the conservation and sustainable use of the marine resources of the high seas.”
A two-thirds majority of the U.S. Senate votes is required to give “advice and consent to ratification.” The treaty is slated to enter into force in June 2025 after securing 60 ratifications.
Adopted on June 19, 2023, the Treaty establishes a comprehensive framework for marine conservation, including provisions for marine genetic resources, protected areas, environmental impact assessments, and technology transfer.
Though the United States has not ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, President Biden strongly endorsed the new agreement, stating, “I believe joining the Agreement to be fully in the interest of the United States.”
(Dreamstime photo)