UN High Seas Treaty now regulates the ocean
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has said it welcomes the entry into force of the UN High Seas Treaty on 17 January.
Calling it a turning point for ocean protection, the treaty is a critical example of how multilateralism can still deliver in the face of escalating environmental breakdown, the EJF said.
The NGO stated that, for decades, the high seas have been a global blind spot and vast industrial fleets could extract enormous amounts of resources with little oversight, weak rules and no real accountability.
Beyond national jurisdiction
The UN High Seas Treaty is the first international treaty to regulate the ocean beyond national jurisdiction, it said, and creates pathways to establish networks of marine protected areas on the high seas.
It also requires environmental impact assessments for activities such as industrial fishing.
According to EJF, the treaty brings one step closer the global goal of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, but only if governments cooperate and act with urgency and ambition to enforce it.
“The rules-based order has prevailed, and that matters enormously,” said Steve Trent, founder of EJF.