Luxembourg and the Congo have brought the ratification of the High Seas Treaty to 52 countries having ratified, leaving only eight more before the treaty goes into effect. Luxembourg ratified the treaty on July 29th and the Congo on August 5.
The treaty, formally titled the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement)–officially opened for signing and ratification in September 2023 and will remain open for two years–until this coming September. It will enter into force 120 days after 60 state ratifications.
The treaty aims to ensure that any use of international waters be conducted in a multilateral way that addresses environmental degradation, fights climate change, and prevents biodiversity loss. Currently only about 1.5% of international waters are protected, though they comprise roughly half the planet.
While the European Union ratified the treaty, it must be ratified by individual states. Luxembourg joins Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, Slovenia, France and Spain in ratifying the treaty.
The Congo joins the African countries of Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania as having ratified.
