The High Seas Treaty has just received its 60th ratification, triggering a 120-day countdown to full legal effect.
The United Nations High Seas Treaty—officially the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)—has just received its 60th ratification, triggering a 120-day countdown to full legal effect. The agreement will enter into force in January 2026, a moment campaigners have hailed as a “turning point in history” and “a turning point for humanity.”
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
Two Decades in the Making, One Historic Threshold
The treaty had been teetering at the threshold after a flurry of ratifications during the United Nations Ocean Conference in June, with momentum building ahead of New York Climate Week. Its adoption caps more than two decades of negotiations, and it now moves into the final procedural phase before implementation.
“This historic moment is the culmination of years of dedication and global diplomacy by governments and stakeholders,” said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance. “The High Seas Treaty is a powerful testament to multilateralism… Today marks an important step when promises start becoming action.”
What the Treaty Does: MPAs, EIAs, and Equity
The High Seas Treaty is the first legally binding international agreement to safeguard marine life in the high seas, the vast open-ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction. It provides new tools to halt biodiversity loss and ocean degradation by:
- Enabling the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in international waters;
- Requiring environmental impact assessments for planned human activities;
- Boosting equity for developing countries through increased knowledge and technology access, capacity strengthening, and equitable access to—and sharing of benefits from—marine genetic resources.
With these tools, Parties can begin to establish a network of high seas MPAs, helping governments meet the 30% ocean conservation by 2030 target adopted in 2022 under the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework.
For too long, the high seas have been a Wild West—lacking comprehensive oversight. What matters now is turning paper into protection. Nations must move quickly from ratification to real-world implementation.
Why It Matters Now
Scientists and advocates frame the treaty as the legal foundation needed to protect some of the largest reservoirs of biodiversity on Earth.
“The high seas treaty continues to serve as a beacon of hope and demonstrates the power of multilateralism,” said Nichola Clark, senior officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts. “When the treaty is implemented, the world will finally be able to protect important places on the high seas.”
Once the agreement takes effect in January 2026, the first Conference of the Parties (COP)—the treaty’s decision-making body—will convene within a year. In the meantime, countries are participating in a Preparatory Commission to draft recommendations that will equip the COP to launch conservation activities. Many nations are already building cases for specific sites to propose under the treaty.
“For too long, the high seas have been a Wild West—lacking comprehensive oversight,” said Dr Katie Matthews, Oceana’s Chief Scientist. “What matters now is turning paper into protection. Nations must move quickly from ratification to real-world implementation.” She noted Chile as an early ratifier with plans to submit a proposal for the first high seas MPA under the agreement.
The treaty’s backers say the task ahead is clear: convert legal architecture into on-the-water protection, at speed.
“Countries that have signed but not yet ratified need to step up,” Matthews said. “The health of our oceans, and the billions of people who rely on them for food, livelihoods, and climate stability, depends on what comes next.”
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