14 March, 2023
On
4 March 2023, after almost two decades of discussion, including five years of
negotiations, the world’s governments finalized the text of a new United
Nations (UN) Treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine
biological diversity of areas beyond
national jurisdiction (BBNJ), under the UN Law of the Sea
Convention (UNCLOS). After the
text was legally “scrubbed” and translated
into the six official UN languages, the final
Treaty text was formally adopted by Member States at the UN
on 19 June 2023.
For
the Treaty to become international law, it must be signed and ratified by at
least 60 countries. The 60th country to ratify will trigger a 120-day countdown, after which the Treaty will
enter into force.
Continue reading Treaty Q&A