The United Nations on June 19 adopted a landmark legally binding international marine biodiversity agreement to govern the high seas following nearly two decades of fierce negotiations.
The agreement, known as the High Seas Treaty or the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty, was adopted by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and is the first-ever legally binding agreement of its kind, requiring international cooperation.
It falls under the U.N.’s Convention on the Law of Sea, an international agreement establishing a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities which went into effect in 1994.
While countries are responsible for the conservation and sustainable use of waterways under their national jurisdiction, the new agreement establishes a legal framework to ensure that environmental protections also cover international waters and prevent “destructive trends” such as pollution and “unsustainable fishing activities,” according to a statement from the U.N….