For the first time ever, 193 nations have reached a conservation agreement on the High Seas Treaty, which intends to designate 30 percent of international waterways as protected areas by 2030. This pact is essential for the achievement of the Global Biodiversity Framework and represents a milestone in discussions that began in 2004.
Rena Lee, president of the International Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), declared to a standing ovation at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York on March 4: “Ladies and gentlemen, the ship has reached the shore.”
The High Seas Treaty
The deal was reached after 38 hours of intensive negotiations, following years of impasse over fishing rights and financial concerns. During the last two weeks of discussions, the agreement appeared at times to be in jeopardy, with the major issue being the equal distribution of marine genetic resources (MGR).
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