A United Nations treaty designed to protect the abundant marine life and ecosystems of the high seas – known colloquially as the High Seas Treaty – has in the last few hours received the 60th ratification required for the agreement to be brought into full force.

In what has been hailed by the campaigners and NGOs working behind the scenes to encourage ratification “an historical moment” and a “turning point in history” the treaty – officially the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement) – has now entered the 120-day long process of coming into its fullest force.

The High Seas Treaty had been teetering on the threshold of the required 60 ratifications since a flurry of activity launched it forward over the course of the United Nations Ocean Conference in June this year. This past week, with developments unfolding ahead of New York Climate Week, environmental campaigners had been waiting in anticipation for the 60th nation to adopt the Agreement.

The excitement around this moment is understandable. This historic treaty is the result of more than two decades of negotiations. The High Seas Treaty will now pave the way for Parties to establish a network of high seas marine protected areas (MPAs), which can help government meet the target of conserving 30% of the global ocean by 2030 – a goal adopted by nearly 200 countries in 2022 as part of the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework.

“This historic moment is the culmination of years of dedication and global diplomacy by governments and stakeholders,” said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance.

“The High Seas Treaty is a powerful testament to multilateralism – showing what the world can achieve when we come together for the common good of our ocean, which covers more than 70% of the planet. Today marks an important step when promises start becoming action.”

The High Seas Treaty is the first legally-binding international agreement safeguarding marine life in the High Seas, an area of open ocean which plays a critical role in ensuring a healthy planet. It provides new tools to halt biodiversity loss and ocean degradation through enabling the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in international waters and ensuring environmental impact assessments of planned human activities.

It will also boost equity for developing countries through increasing knowledge and technology access, strengthening capacity, and ensuring the equitable access and sharing of the benefits of marine genetic resources.