High Seas Treaty Gains Momentum at 3rd UN Ocean Conference

As global momentum for climate action grows, a troubling trend is emerging: climate finance is shrinking. At the 3rd UN Ocean Conference, leaders and experts expressed grave concern that declining financial commitments could exacerbate inequality, hinder local adaptation projects, and leave the most vulnerable nations even further behind.

The third Ocean Conference, held from June 9 to 13, 2025, in the French port city of Nice, was co-hosted by France and Costa Rica. The summit drew 15,000 attendees from all sectors, including 60 heads of state and government, to address the ocean’s numerous challenges, including biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change.

One of the key issues in this year’s conference focuses on implementing the “High Seas Treaty” and protecting biodiversity.

A Spotlight on the High Seas Treaty

The “High Seas Treaty” is a commonly used term for the United Nations’ landmark treaty, the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ agreement), under the UN Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS). After two decades of negotiations, the UN’s 193 member states adopted the agreement in June 2023, aiming to “safeguard marine life in international waters”.

This year’s 3rd Ocean Conference has been hailed as a success, with more countries ratifying the treaty. Before the summit, only 27 out of the 60 states required to bring it into force had been ratified. However, during the conference, it jumped to 51 that had ratified the treaty, inching closer to the treaty taking effect. A bright spot is that several countries intend to ratify the treaty by the end of 2025, according to a BBC report.

Some major countries, including the US, China, and the UK, have signed the treaty but haven’t yet ratified it. However, the UK has announced its intention to initiate the ratification process before 2026.

Elizabeth Wilson, a senior director at The Pew Charitable Trusts, commented on the rapid pace of change in countries. She pointed out that treaties usually take five to seven years to be ratified.

“So the fact that the High Seas Treaty is on the cusp of entering into force shows the global momentum behind working to protect more of the high seas,” she said (Stallard, 2025).

The article also noted that this progress, along with steps forward on other key ocean issues, such as plastic pollution and illegal fishing, has helped restore trust in governments’ ability to work together.

High Seas Treaty

The High Seas Treaty (BBNJ agreement) is the first to protect 30% of the oceans beyond national boundaries, encompassing two-thirds of the planet’s oceans, which are considered international waters. This area grants all countries the fish right, navigate, and conduct research. Currently, only around 1% of the high seas are protected.

According to the WRI, the high seas is home to a wide variety of species – from microscopic plankton to colossal blue whales, and lucrative natural resources: critical minerals needed for renewable energy and battery storage, genetic materials for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and other innovations where countries and businesses are increasingly sought to explore and exploit.

Without this binding treaty, the high seas are governed by a patchwork of agreements that are often insufficient in areas such as shipping, marine conservation, fishing, and ocean protection. Once ratified by 60 countries, the treaty will come into effect, addressing critical gaps and enhancing national efforts. Together, these measures will create a comprehensive framework for ocean stewardship, extending from national coastlines to the high seas.

In 2023, countries reached an agreement on four main pillars of the BBNJ Agreement or High Seas Treaty:

The first is to set up a system to create marine protected areas (MPAs) and other tools to manage and protect parts of the ocean that are beyond any country’s boundaries (high seas).  There are already existing MPAs in international waters – in 2010, six MPAs were created in the Northeast Atlantic, covering 286,200 square kilometres (about 110,500 square miles).

In 2016, the Ross Sea MPA was made in the Southern Ocean, covering 1.5 million square kilometres (about 600,000 square miles).  Additionally, the treaty will establish a process that allows countries and groups to propose new MPAs through a consultation process supported by scientific evidence.

Second, it will establish rules for sharing financial and non-financial benefits from marine genetic materials, including bacteria, corals, and deep-sea sponges taken from the high seas, which are used in medicine, cosmetics, food, and biotechnology, thereby offering significant benefits to human health and well-being.

Third, the treaty also promotes the sharing of marine technology and knowledge with low-income countries that request it for sustainable use and conservation, and ensures their participation in high-seas governance.

Fourth, the treaty will establish a process for assessing the environmental impacts of proposed high-seas activities by countries and businesses, such as deep-sea mining. These assessments must follow international standards and can be shared transparently.

The fourth UN Ocean Conference is scheduled for 2028, to be co-hosted by Chile and South Korea. 

Learn more about the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction and the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.