To the cheers of the participants, UN representatives have agreed on an agreement to protect the world’s oceans for the first time. Years of negotiations preceded this. UN Secretary-General Guterres spoke of a “historic success”.
After years of negotiations, the United Nations have passed an agreement to protect the world’s oceans. Among other things, the pact creates the basis for the designation of large protected areas on the high seas and establishes a procedure for examining economic projects, expeditions and other activities in the seas for their environmental compatibility.
“The agreement is approved,” announced conference chair Rena Lee in New York to cheers from attendees. UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke of a “historic success”. “More than a third of fish stocks are being exploited at unsustainable levels,” Guterres said. “And we’re polluting our coastal waters with chemicals, plastic and human waste.” The treaty is vital to countering these threats.
breakthrough in early March
Around three months ago there was a breakthrough in the negotiations in New York, and on Monday the agreement was then formally adopted by the UN General Assembly in New York. Two thirds of the oceans belong to the high seas and have thus been largely unlawful until now.
The countries of the world had been grappling with an agreement to protect the high seas for around 15 years, and since 2018 there have been several rounds of negotiations, some of which have been postponed without result.
For the first time, protected areas outside the exclusive economic zones of individual countries are planned. This is significant because more than 60 percent of the oceans are outside of these economic zones.
Protecting marine ecosystems is also important because they produce about half of the oxygen humans need to breathe and absorb massive amounts of climate-damaging carbon dioxide.
federal government wants to ratify quickly
The new agreement falls under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which came into force in 1994. It will be open for signature from September 20th during the annual plenary session of the heads of state and government of the UN member countries. It must be ratified by at least 60 states. The Federal Government has promised to do this quickly, as Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke explained.