Momentum Grows for High Seas Treaty Ahead of UN Oceans Conference

With the United Nations Oceans Conference of 2025 looming large, global momentum towards signing the 2023 High Seas Treaty is picking up even as the treaty will not come into force before the conference. It had taken diplomats decades of effort but signed to protect the ocean environment on the international sea, regions crucial to the international biodiversity of the world but growingly threatened by pollution and undue overuse. While 113 countries have subscribed to the agreement, 21 have ratified it, less than the 60 needed for the treaty to go into effect. The treaty comes into force 120 days after ratification, thereby making it impossible to take effect by the Oceans Conference in Nice, France, June 9-13, 2025. Despite that, recent United Nations negotiations in New York have accelerated technical preparations, with parties making considerable progress on large mechanisms like information exchange systems among treaty parties and guidelines for the creation of marine protected areas.

The Nice summit will bring together dozens of state leaders and over 2,000 scientists from some 100 countries, and a strong platform to restate political commitment to the treaty goals will be made available. A June 9 special ceremony will be a symbolic demonstration of ongoing efforts to bring the treaty into force later this year. The ante-conference requirement to the operation of the treaty moved more rapidly than anticipated, an indication of an increased worldwide will to protect the seas. Nevertheless, in the absence of U.S. participation in such forums, policymakers and environmentalists are concerned. Although the U.S. joined the treaty under President Biden's administration, they have not ratified it, and current events signal a shift of the country's ocean management strategy.

In a move that has drawn ire from the environmental community, United States of America President Donald Trump signed an executive order in support of commercial deep-sea mining, including mining in international waters beyond the control of the International Seabed Authority. It was broadly seen as a loss for multilateral effort to protect ocean ecosystems, as national governments globally have promised to preserve 30% of the planet's oceans and land by 2030. The reaction against the U.S. position highlights the political pitfalls facing the High Seas Treaty, while technical momentum and international support appear to gain speed.

The treaty is an important milestone along the way of regulating activities in the great expanses of ocean beyond national borders, which cover nearly half of the planet. They are reservoirs of novel biodiversity and crucial for the provision of ecosystem services, including climate regulation and food security. By creating guidelines for the creation of marine protected areas and protection of marine resources, the treaty seeks to prioritize loss of biodiversity and prevention of degradation of valuable ocean systems. Preparatory meetings also touched on organizational operation that would implement the treaty and ensure openness to, equitably allocate resources to, and audit compliance by signatory nations.

Progress continues among other countries despite the challenges experienced. Some nations have promised to accelerate ratification within their countries as a way of reaching the minimum number needed for the treaty to be effective by 2025. The international institutions and civil society actors continue to urge swift ratifications and cut-and-dried promises to approve. There is growing widespread support that the sealing of loopholes in ocean management is critical to solving greater environmental issues, such as climate change and global food security.

It will not be enough in the future that the High Seas Treaty was ratified with adequate numbers; it must also have tremendous political and financial commitments to have its provisions implemented. Effective ocean management will need to entail interjurisdictional, cross-sectoral, and interdisciplinary coordination that includes science-based policy-making and stakeholder engagement. It is considered by many to be a significant step towards achieving the objective of preserving 30x30 by ensuring the oceans achieve a sustainable future.

The UN Oceans Conference in 2025 would be a benchmark for the treaty, where scientists, governments, and activists could reaffirm the commitment to keeping marine habitats safe and lay down a blueprint for rapid and efficient implementation of the treaty. The following next few months will be decisive in determining if the world has the potential or the will to maintain present momentum and fulfill its mission of safeguarding the high seas for future generations.

Source/Credits:
Adapted and shortened AFP report by Amélie Bottollier-Depois, published 2025, courtesy Phys.org.