On Saturday March 4, the delegates of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond Jurisdiction signed an agreement that seeks to guarantee the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in international oceans .
The agreed document called “High Seas Treaty” has been under negotiation since 2004 between the countries that make up the United Nations Organization (UN) and, according to its Secretary General, António Guterres, “is crucial to address the triple crisis planetary impact of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution ”.
What is the purpose of the High Seas Treaty?
The UN secretary argued that this agreement is vital to meet various objectives related to the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and the “30×30” commitment to protect a third of terrestrial and marine biodiversity by 2030.
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During the announcement, Guterres mentioned three ways to avoid the triple planetary crisis :
- Place 30% of the world’s oceans as protected areas.
- Allocate money to marine conservation.
- Cover access to and use of marine genetic resources (any material of plant, animal, microbial or other marine origin)
According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the 2030 Agenda recognizes biodiversity as a fundamental element to guarantee the well-being of people.
Therefore, said organization calls for ” the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources ” in accordance with the new treaty concluded by the UN
