United Nations member countries reached a key agreement on Saturday to create the first international treaty for the protection of the high seasdesigned to counter threats to ecosystems vital to humanity.
After more than 15 years of discussionsincluding four of formal talks, the third negotiating session in less than a year, the long-awaited consensus was announced.
The treaty is seen as essential to conserving 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, as agreed by world governments in an accord signed in Montreal in December. At the moment just 1% of the high seas it is protected.
“This is a historic day for conservation and a sign that, in a divided world, protecting nature and people trumps geopolitics,” Greenpeace’s Laura Meller said.
After two weeks of intense talks at UN headquarters, including an overnight marathon on Friday and Saturday, delegates finalized a text that cannot be changed significantly.
“There will be no reopening and substantial negotiations,” Lee told negotiators.
The agreement will be formally adopted once it has been reviewed by legal experts and translated into the six official languages of the United Nations, he announced.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated the delegates, according to a spokesman who said the deal was a “victory for multilateralism and global efforts to counter destructive trends impacting ocean health.”
The European Union applauded a “crucial step to preserve marine life and biodiversitythat are essential for us and for generations to come.”
The high seas begin where the states’ Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) end, up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coast, so it is not under the jurisdiction of any country.
While it accounts for over 60% of the oceans and almost half of the planetthe high seas have long been ignored as attention has focused on coastal areas and iconic species.
With advances in science the importance of protecting all these oceans from the often microscopic biodiversity has been demonstrated, which it supplies half of the oxygen we breathe and limits global warming by absorbing a significant part of the CO2 generated by human activity.
But the oceans are weakening, victims of these emissions (warming, acidification of the waters), pollutants of all kinds and overfishing.
When the treaty enters into force, after it has been formally adopted, signed and ratified by a sufficient number of countries, marine protected areas can be created in international waters.
“Life on Earth depends on a healthy ocean. The new treaty on the high seas will be vital to our common goal of protect 30% of the oceans by 2030″Mónica Medina, oceans chief at the US State Department, said in New York.
The treaty on the “conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas that do not depend on national jurisdiction” also introduces the obligation to carry out environmental impact studies of the activities that are intended to be carried out on the high seas.
Another very delicate chapter that kept tensions up to the last minute is the principle of sharing the benefits of marine genetic resources in the high seas.
Developing countries that lack the means to finance expensive expeditions and research have struggled not to be excluded from the windfall that awaits the eventual commercialization by pharmaceutical or cosmetic companies of the miraculous molecules of these marine organisms that belong to no one .
As in other international forums, particularly in climate negotiations, the debate has boiled down to a question of North-South equity, according to observers.
In an announcement perceived as a gesture to boost North-South confidence, the European Union pledged to New York 40 million euros ($42.4 million) to facilitate the treaty’s ratification and early implementation.
He also announced more than €800 million ($848 million) to Panama to protect the oceans by 2023 at the “Our Oceans” conference that ended on Friday.
In total, the Panamanian Foreign Minister, Janaina Tewaney, announced “341 new commitments” for an amount close to 20,000 million dollars – of which almost 6,000 million offered by the United States – which were made during this conference to protect the seas .
By Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS and Peter HUTCHISON
AFP extension
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.