Sustainability

UN high seas treaty ratified

2025-09-22T11:15:00

a sealion and a starfish

Source: Ocean Image Bank/Hannes Klost

A groundbreaking global treaty to protect marine biodiversity on the high seas has officially reached the threshold for entry into force, marking a major milestone in international environmental cooperation

The treaty, formally known as the ‘Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ agreement)’, will come into effect on 17 January 2026, following its 60th ratification on 19 September by Morocco and Sierra Leone.

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