Synergies between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the High Seas Treaty
Find out more about the synergies between the CBD, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), and the High Seas Treaty. Read our briefing and position paper on the importance of seamless coordination and complementarity between the two agreements to accelerate the effective protection of the global ocean’s biodiversity.
This new briefing paper explains the opportunities that the High Seas Treaty represents for Africa and the key role that African countries play in the success of the Treaty and the sustainable use of ocean resources.
Continue reading Briefing: What Does the High Seas Treaty Mean for Africa?
Find out more about the synergies between the High Seas Treaty and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on Capacity building and the transfer of marine technology in this fascinating new briefing paper, published by Post-2020 and co-authored by Nathalie Rey and Daniel Kachelriess of the High Seas Alliance along with Julia Schütz-Veiga of the NOVA IPSI Knowledge Centre/The Nippon Foundation Ocean Voices Programme.
Continue reading Briefing: Biodiversity Plan and BBNJ Agreement
The High Seas Alliance, in collaboration with RISE UP and the Ilhas do Rio Project hosted an insightful webinar on the 23rd of May, 2024 to discuss accelerating progress towards the ratification and implementation of the the UN High Seas BBNJ (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) Treaty, agreed upon in 2023.
Ocean Dialogues 2024 (Brazil)
The High Seas Alliance, in collaboration with RISE UP and the Ilhas do Rio Project, presents a comprehensive set of policy recommendations focused on accelerating the ratification and implementation of the High Seas Treaty under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
On 19 June 2023, the international community adopted the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty). The Agreement opened for State signature on 20 September 2023 and will remain open for signature for two years. It will enter into force 120 days after 60 State ratifications. Until then, signatories are obliged to refrain from acts which would defeat the object and purpose of the Agreement.
Preparatory Commissions (PrepComs) are often established after an international Agreement has been signed to prepare for its entry into force.
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.
In September 2025, the Treaty reached the required 60 ratifications, triggering the 120-day countdown to its entry into force on 17 January 2026. The Treaty is now binding international law, and governments must continue ratifying and move swiftly into implementation to ensure it delivers lasting protection for the global ocean.
The greatest opportunity in a generation to conserve ocean life and diversity on a global scale and safeguard 2/3 of the world’s ocean is happening right now. World governments are in the final stages of negotiating a new treaty under the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) – the first ever to focus on conserving and ensuring sustainable use of biodiversity of the ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), which includes the water column or “the high seas” and the seabed below. Comprising nearly half the planet, the high seas are a true global common.
Continue reading What does ambition look like for the High Seas Treaty?
