On 17 January 2026, the High Seas Treaty entered into force, marking the first global, legally binding agreement dedicated to protecting marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction — the vast ocean regions that lie outside any country’s control. The treaty is the result of almost two decades of negotiations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and was finally agreed in 2023, after growing scientific evidence showed how rapidly the high seas are being degraded by overfishing, pollution, climate change and emerging activities such as deep-sea mining.
The agreement does not replace existing ocean or conservation treaties, but complements them by filling long-standing governance gaps. For the first time, it creates a clear legal process to establish marine protected areas on the high seas, introduces common standards for environmental impact assessments, and promotes international cooperation, benefit-sharing and capacity building. It applies to areas beyond national exclusive economic zones — roughly half of the planet’s ocean surface.
While many countries have ratified the treaty, some major maritime powers, including the United States, are not yet parties. This limits universality and may weaken enforcement, but the agreement was designed to function even without full global participation. In a time of geopolitical instability and eroding multilateral trust, the treaty stands out as a rare example of international cooperation that looks beyond short-term national interests.
The High Seas Treaty should therefore be seen neither as a miracle solution nor as an empty gesture. Its real impact will depend on political will, funding, enforcement and how effectively countries use the new tools it provides. It is a compromise, but an important one: a foundation on which meaningful protection of the global ocean commons can finally be built — if the world chooses to act on it.
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