The 3rd UN Ocean Conference ended today with a historic step towards ensuring greater High Seas protection. With 19 additional countries depositing their ratifications, the total number that count towards the High Seas Treaty’s entry into force has now reached 50. Only 10 more are needed to cross the critical 60-country threshold that would trigger the Treaty coming into effect.

Several countries have already indicated their intent to deposit their ratification instruments at the UN very soon. There is no obligation for them to wait for the UNGA meeting in September, which could mean the Treaty’s entry into force could be triggered in the coming weeks.

“The journey towards a High Seas Treaty has been nearly as long as the great migrations of whales, sharks and turtles but the wave of new ratifications at the UN Ocean Conference shows we are in the final straight,” said Matthew Collis, Senior Director of Policy at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

In addition to the boost in ratifications, the number of countries signing the Treaty also surged. An extra 20 countries added their signatures during the week, bringing the total number to 136. This is an encouraging sign, as widespread ratification will be crucial to ensuring the Treaty’s full effectiveness.

Rebecca Hubbard, Director of the High Seas Alliance, emphasized the urgency to maintain momentum: “We must keep our foot on the #RaceForRatification accelerator. The Treaty’s power lies in the number of countries that join, so while we celebrate this incredible progress, we urge all remaining nations to ratify without delay and help drive this Treaty past the first 60 to make it a truly global force for ocean protection.”

Around 60 heads of state and government attended the meeting reflecting a significant high level attention for the plight of the ocean. The momentum on High Seas Treaty ratification showed what is possible when the world comes together with urgency and purpose.

“This is a landmark moment to safeguard the ocean as our greater common good, an opportunity to achieve equity and justice for all nations, and to empower regions, such as Latin America, in defining actions that can shape a fair and sustainable future for all,” said María José González-Bernat, Co-Director of Ecosystems Program of the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA).

Attention is now also turning to how the Treaty will be implemented once it enters into force. Several major announcements were made earlier in the week including the re-launch of the High Ambition Coalition for BBNJ and the €10 million that has been made available through the EU’s €40 million Global Ocean Programme to provide technical assistance to developing countries for both ratification and implementation. Private philanthropy also stepped up with the Minderoo Foundation pledging an additional USD6.5 million to support High Seas protection, and funding was confirmed to create a secretariat for the First Movers initiative (MPAs), which will help advance early proposals for High Seas marine protected areas.

Focus is intensifying on building strong bodies and processes under the Treaty to ensure it functions effectively as well as identifying critical High Seas sites for protection once the Treaty is operational through an ongoing Preparatory Committee process at the UN. Efforts to build the case for High Seas MPA proposals submissions under the Treaty were also showcased at the Conference, profiling a number of areas including the Salas y Gomez and Nazca Ridges, the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea and the Costa Rica Thermal Dome in the Pacific.

“While the Race to Ratification will soon come to an end, the hard work to fully implement the Treaty is just about to begin. Protecting and sustainably managing the High Seas – 50% of the planet – cannot come soon enough. The inclusion of Indigenous and local knowledge systems in the BBNJ Treaty sets new ocean governance foundations for how and for whom this treaty is implemented,” said Ernesto Fernández Monge, International Oceans Director at Oceans North.

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