The agreement to protect the high seas is “long overdue”, the UN Secretary-General lamented on Thursday, while a new negotiation session on the delivery of this agreement, which is crucial for the oceans, is now scheduled for early 2023.
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During a special session of the UN General Assembly to mark the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Antonio Guterres highlighted the “catastrophic situation” of the oceans.
“Today, 35% of the world’s fisheries are overfished. The sea level is rising. The ocean is acidifying and choking with pollution. Coral reefs, essential to life, are fading and dying,” he said, calling for “more ambition” to protect the oceans and everyone who depends on them.
Among the protection instruments is the agreement on “the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction”, which has been under discussion for fifteen years.
The text aims to protect the high seas, where states’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs) end within a maximum of 200 nautical miles from shore. A vast area that has been neglected for a long time, but which accounts for 60% of the oceans and harbors treasures of biological diversity
After a conclusion was not possible during what was actually the last round of negotiations in March, a catch-up meeting in August also failed.
A new meeting, pending formal approval by the UN General Assembly, is now scheduled in New York from February 20 to March 3, 2023, according to data published on the conference website on Thursday.
“This long overdue tool is critical to restoring ocean health, resilience and productivity,” commented Antonio Guterres.
“During the last meeting in August we were very close to an agreement (…). Now more than ever we need to show flexibility to achieve our common goal: an ambitious, universal, effective, inclusive, fair, balanced and future-proof,” said EU Ambassador Olof Skoog.
This agreement, which excludes the seabed and its mineral resources covered by another agreement, concerns in particular the establishment of marine protected areas, the carrying out of environmental impact studies and the distribution of possible profits from the exploitation of marine resources.
“A deal is needed now more than ever if we are to ensure a sustainable future for our oceans,” Liz Karan of the NGO Pew Charitable Trusts told AFP on Thursday.