To the delight of participants, UN representatives reached an agreement to protect the world’s oceans for the first time. Years of negotiations preceded this. UN Secretary-General Guterres spoke of a “historic success”.
After years of negotiations, the United Nations approved an agreement to protect the world’s oceans. Among other things, the pact creates the basis for the designation of large protected areas on the high seas and establishes a procedure for examining economic projects, expeditions and other activities at sea for their environmental compatibility.
“The agreement has been approved”, announced the president of the conference, Rena Lee, in New York, to applause from the participants. UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke of a “historic success”. “More than a third of fish stocks are being exploited at unsustainable levels,” said Guterres. “And we are polluting our coastal waters with chemicals, plastic and human waste.” The treaty is vital to combating these threats.
breakthrough in early March
About three months ago there was a breakthrough in the negotiations in New York, and on Monday the agreement was formally adopted by the UN General Assembly in New York. Two-thirds of the oceans belong to the high seas and thus have been largely illegal until now.
The world’s countries had been fighting for about 15 years for an agreement to protect the high seas, and since 2018 there have been several rounds of negotiations, some of which have been postponed without result.
For the first time, protected areas outside the exclusive economic zones of individual countries are planned. This is significant because over 60% of the oceans are outside these economic zones.
Protecting marine ecosystems is also important because they produce about half the oxygen humans need to breathe and absorb large amounts of climate-damaging carbon dioxide.
Federal government wants to ratify quickly
The new agreement is part of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which came into force in 1994. It will be open for signature from September 20th during the annual plenary session of the heads of state and government of the member countries of the UN. Must be ratified by at least 60 states. The federal government has promised to do this quickly, as Federal Minister for the Environment Steffi Lemke explained.