UN members adopt first treaty to protect marine life on the high seas

On Monday, UN members adopted the first treaty to protect marine life on the high seas

United Nations: UN members adopted the first-ever treaty to protect marine life on the high seas on Monday, with the UN secretary-general hailing the historic agreement for giving oceans a “fighting chance”.

Representatives from the 193 member states erupted in applause, followed by a standing ovation when Singapore’s ambassador for the oceans, Lina Lee, who was leading the talks, tapped her gavel after hearing that no one opposed the treaty’s ratification.

A treaty to protect biodiversity in waters beyond national borders, known as the high seas, which covers almost half the planet’s surface, has been under discussion for more than 20 years as efforts to reach an agreement have repeatedly stalled. But in March, delegates to an intergovernmental meeting established by the UN General Assembly in December 2017 agreed on a treaty.

The new treaty is based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which entered into force in 1994, at a time when marine biodiversity was an accepted concept.

It will be open for signature on Sept. 20, during the annual meeting of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, and will enter into force after ratification by 60 countries.

The treaty will create a new agency to manage the protection of marine life and create marine protected areas on the high seas. It also lays down ground rules for conducting environmental impact assessments of marine commercial activities.

Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates that the adoption of the treaty comes at a critical time when oceans are threatened on many fronts.

Climate change is disrupting weather patterns and ocean currents, raising sea temperatures, “and altering marine ecosystems and the species that live there,” he said, and marine biodiversity “is under attack from overfishing, overexploitation and ocean acidification.” More than a third of all fish stocks are being harvested at unsustainable levels,” said the UN Secretary-General.

“We are polluting our coastal waters with chemicals, plastics and human waste.” Guterres said the treaty was critical to addressing these threats, urging all countries to spare no effort to ensure its signature and ratification as soon as possible, and Emphasizing that “this is critical to addressing the threats facing our oceans.”