Spain and France first EU nations to ratify UN High Seas Treaty
This year has been earmarked as a pivotal moment for the High Seas Treaty which must be ratified by at least 60 countries for it to enter into full force. Campaigners are on a mission to see this achieved in time for the next UN Ocean Conference in June.
France and Spain have become the first countries in the Europe Union to ratify the High Seas Treaty, a mechanism developed by the United Nations to protect the swathes of ocean that fall outside of national jurisdiction yet have been pinpointed as crucial to protect if the world is to achieve its globally-agreed target of preserving 30% of the ocean by 2030.
This year has been earmarked as a pivotal moment for the High Seas Treaty which must be ratified by at least 60 countries for it to enter into full force. Campaigners are currently on a mission to see this achieved by the time of the next United Nations Ocean Conference in June 2025.
In ratifying the treaty, both France and Spain now join a growing list of 17 countries to back the charter in full, which includes Chile, Cuba, the Maldives, Panama, Singapore, and Timor Leste. Some 108 countries have, in fact, signed the treaty – including the UK and Australia, but are yet to take the final step by enshrining it into law.
The high seas make up two thirds of our global ocean and are home to a vast spectrum of marine life, including some of the largest marine mammals and migratory fish. They are also critical carbon stores and play a key role in the carbon and nutrient cycle, transferring atmospheric and oceanic carbon to the seafloor.
They also house deep sea mountains, habitats, and marine life we are yet to learn about.
The UN High Seas Treaty – or the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond Nation Jurisdiction (to give it its fullest title – BBNJ Agreement, for short) was adopted on June 19, 2023 and is – to date – the only and the strongest form of protection drawn up for the shared expanse of ocean.
France will be a joint host of the third United Nations Ocean Conference when things get underway in Nice this June. Ten years on from COP21 and the Paris Agreement, UN Oceano Conference 3 aims to bring together all United Nation Member States, specialised agencies, civil society, the private sector, and international donors to take affirmative action for the ocean.
The Conference wants to establish international protection for the ocean as it faces increasing pressures from climate change, pollution, and the overexploitation of marine resources.
“Protecting the ocean means protecting an immense carbon sink and unimaginable biodiversity reserves. It also means giving hope to all those whose lives depend on our oceans, and to those who will have to face rising sea levels,” said France’s President, Emmanuel Macron.
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“It means, together, reinventing the blue economy, as it must never be forgotten that the sea is first and foremost a source of income, jobs, food, and innovation for people around the world.
“In 2015, we managed to inscribe this ambition in a universal UN framework thanks to the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2025, in the same vein, the conference in Nice will be foundational for ocean governance. The UN Ocean Conference should become the forum for States and the private sector to invest together to reinvent the ocean economy.”
Speaking on Spain’s own ratification process, Greenpeace Spain – who was present for the occasion – has celebrated the victory, stating it is “a reminder that action and the power of the people works”.
“We would like to thank the 155,000 members, the more than 200,000 people who have supported the campaign, the artisanal fishing sector, the 120 ocean ambassadors and personalities such as Javier and Carlos Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Elena Anaya, and more who have made it possible for the treaty to become a reality.
“We have taken a big step, the Spanish government has confirmed that its commitment to create the first ocean sanctuaries on the high seas is real and we hope that it will serve to encourage the rest of the countries to get their act together and ratify as soon as possible.
“Each ratification is essential to reach the 60 that will make the protection of the high seas possible.”
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