HIGH SEAS TREATY - INTERNATIONAL
News: Explained
| What are the provisions of the High Seas Treaty?
What's in the news?
● UN
adopted the Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) or
the High Seas Treaty.
Key takeaways:
● It
became the third agreement to be approved under UNCLOS, after the 1994 and 1995
treaties, which established the International Seabed Authority and the Fish
Stocks agreement.
Uniqueness:
● The
first-ever legally binding global agreement of its kind, known as the High Seas Treaty, provides a framework
for environmental protections to biodiversity in international waters - which cover over 60% of the Earth’s surface.
● Only
1.2% of the world's ocean areas are currently protected.
Aim:
● To
address critical issues such as the increasing sea surface temperatures, over exploitation
of marine biodiversity, overfishing, coastal pollution, and unsustainable
practices beyond national jurisdiction.
● To
protect 30% of the world's land and water by 2030 with the aim of halting and
reversing the current extinction crisis.
Ratification:
● The
new treaty will be opened for signatures on Sept. 20, during the annual meeting
of world leaders at the General Assembly, and it will take effect once it is
ratified by 60 countries.
● The
new treaty is under the UN Convention on
the Law of the Sea, which came into force in 1994, before marine
biodiversity was a well-established concept.
Features:
● The
treaty will create a new body to
manage conservation of ocean life.
● It
also aims to establish marine protected
areas in the high seas.
● It
also establishes ground rules for
conducting environmental impact assessments for commercial activities in
the oceans.
○ The
Scientific and Technical Body will also play a significant role in
environmental impact assessment.
○ The
body will be creating standards and guidelines for assessment procedures, and
helping countries with less capacity in carrying out assessments.
○ This
will facilitate the conference of parties to trace future impacts, identify
data gaps, and bring out research priorities.
● The
treaty also establishes principles for
sharing the benefits of “marine genetic resources” (MGR) collected by
scientific research in international waters.
○ On
the fair sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources, the treaty mandates
sharing of scientific information and monetary benefits through installing a
“clear house mechanism.”
● Through
the mechanism, information on marine protected areas, marine genetic resources,
and “area-based management tools” will be open to access for all parties.
● Capacity
building and marine technology sharing among the signatories.
Significance:
● It
will govern the high seas and protect remote ecosystems vital to humanity.