Nations secure UN global high seas biodiversity pact

On Saturday, a UN treaty to protect the high seas was finished by negotiators from more than 100 nations. This was a long-awaited step that environmental groups say will help reverse the loss of marine biodiversity and ensure sustainable development.

After 15 years of debate, the legally binding agreement to preserve and ensure the sustainable use of ocean biodiversity was reached after five lengthy rounds of UN-led negotiations that came to an end on Saturday in New York, one day after the original deadline.

 

After a long final day of talks, UN conference president Rena Lee announced, “The ship has reached the shore.”

The goal of protecting 30% of the world’s land and sea by the end of the decade, which was agreed upon in Montreal in December, is seen as a crucial component of the treaty.

During the most recent round of negotiations, which began on February 20, economic interests were a major sticking point. Developing nations demanded a larger share of the profits from the “blue economy,” which included the transfer of technology.

The agreement to share the advantages of “marine genetic resources” utilized in biotechnology also remained a point of contention until the very end, prolonging discussions.

According to Greenpeace, in order to meet the goal, 11 million square kilometers (4.2 million square miles) of ocean must be protected annually until 2030.

Links that Project Agora Rotterdam sponsored: What will a U-boat cost in 2023? Begrafenis | Zoek Advertenties Vlieg with Singapore Airlines from Amsterdam Singapore Airlines Very little of the high seas is protected, and pollution, acidification, and overfishing pose a growing threat. The price can be missed.

Greenpeace oceans activist Laura Meller, who attended the talks, stated, “Countries must formally adopt the treaty and ratify it as quickly as possible to bring it into force, and then deliver the fully protected ocean sanctuaries our planet needs.”

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