UN members successfully secure ocean protection treaty

UN members successfully secure ocean protection treaty.
The UN members have successfully secured an ocean protection treaty and its a legally binding accord that will help conserve 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.
The United Nations member states have finally agreed, following years of talks, to a text on the first international treaty to protect the high seas. The high seas are a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet, and this treaty is a vital step in preserving them. The text of the treaty includes provisions on protecting the biodiversity of the high seas, reducing pollution and plastic waste, and regulating fisheries. This is a major victory for conservationists, and will help to ensure the health of the high seas for generations to come.
The legally binding agreement to conserve and ensure the sustainable use of ocean biodiversity was agreed after five rounds of protracted United Nations-led negotiations that ended in New York on Saturday, a day after the original deadline. The agreement, which was reached after more than two weeks of intense negotiations, will help to preserve the oceans and their biodiversity for future generations.
The agreement, which is known as the Convention on the Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Marine Environment (or the Biodiversity Convention), was first proposed in 1995 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit. It was then five years in the making, with negotiations on the convention finally concluding in 2000.
Rena Lee, conference chair, announced that the ship had reached the shore shortly before 9:30 pm [local time]. The announcement was met with applause from delegates, after more than 15 years of discussions, including four years of formal talks. The third so-called final negotiating session in less than a year heralded the long-awaited consensus.
The United Nations’ biodiversity treaty, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), is seen as essential to conserving 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030, as agreed by world governments in a historic accord signed in Montreal in December. The treaty, which has been in effect since 1993, was ratified by 196 countries and the European Union in 2020.
The CBD’s objective is to ” conserve biodiversity, promote sustainable use of its components, and ensure fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources.” To date, the treaty has helped to conserve countless species of plants and animals, as well as countless hectares of forests, wetlands, and other natural habitats.
Following two weeks of intense talks at the United Nations headquarters in New York, including a marathon overnight session Friday into Saturday, delegates finalised a text that cannot be significantly altered.
“There will be no reopening or discussions of substance,” Lee told negotiators. The text, he said, “represents the best efforts of all delegations to strike a balance between the interests of countries with different views and interests.”
The agreement reached on Saturday is a political document that will guide further negotiations on a legally binding treaty to regulate the international Arms Trade. It is the first time that the international community has agreed on common standards for the Arms Trade.
The agreement will be formally adopted at a later date, once it has been vetted by lawyers and translated into the United Nations’ six official languages, she announced.
This is a significant step forward in the fight against climate change, and we are committed to working together to make sure that this agreement is implemented effectively and efficiently.
The ecosystem vital
The high seas begin at the border of countries’ exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 370 kilometres from coastlines. As such, they fall under the jurisdiction of no country. The high seas are thus a step beyond the borders of any one nation, and represent a shared international space. They are a space where all nations have equal rights and responsibilities.
The high seas are home to a great diversity of life, including vital fish stocks that provide food for millions of people around the world. They are also a key part of the global climate system, playing a role in regulating our planet’s temperature. Given their importance to life on Earth, it is crucial that we protect the high seas.
The high seas encompass a vast area of the world’s oceans, comprising more than 60 percent of the total ocean area and nearly half the planet’s surface. Even though they cover such a large area, they have long drawn far less attention than coastal waters and a few iconic species.
Ocean ecosystems play a vital role in the health of our planet, creating half the oxygen humans breathe and limiting global heating by absorbing much of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. But they are threatened by climate crisis, pollution and overfishing.
Currently, only about one percent of the high seas are protected. This needs to change if we are to safeguard the future of our planet. We must do more to protect these vital waters.
When the new treaty comes into force after being formally adopted, signed and ratified by enough countries, it will allow the creation of marine protected areas in these international waters.
The treaty on the “conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction” also obliges countries to conduct environmental impact assessments of proposed activities on the high seas.
‘Profits’
Developing countries, without the means to afford costly research, had fought not to be excluded from the expected windfall from the commercialisation of potential substances discovered in the international waters.
Eventual profits are likely from the pharmaceutical, chemical or cosmetic use of newly discovered marine substances that belong to no one.
As in other international forums, notably climate negotiations, the debate ended up being a question of ensuring equity between the poorer global South and richer North, observers noted.
In a move seen as an attempt to build trust between rich and poor countries, the European Union pledged $42 million in New York to facilitate the ratification of the treaty and its early implementation.
The EU also announced $860 million for research, monitoring and conservation of oceans in 2023 at the Our Ocean conference in Panama that ended Friday.
Panama said a total of $19 billion, including a $6 billion commitment from the United States, was pledged at the conference to protect seas.
In 2017, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on nations to establish a high seas treaty. The Assembly noted that the high seas cover nearly two-thirds of the Earth’s surface and contain valuable resources, including fisheries, minerals, and oil and gas reserves. It also recognized that the high seas are exposed to a number of threats, including pollution, overfishing, and climate change.
The original resolution called for four negotiating sessions, but due to the complex nature of the issues involved, the Assembly had to pass two additional resolutions to ensure that there would be enough time to reach a consensus. The treaty is seen as a key step in protecting the high seas and ensuring that their resources are used sustainably.