The High Seas treaty, enabling the creating of protected areas on half the planet’s surface for the first time, is to come into force after receiving more than 60 ratifications by UN member states.
Technically known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, the treaty which now makes the UN’s existing target of protecting 30 per cent of the ocean possible, will become legally binding on January 17 2026.
The agreement, which has been in the process of formal discussion at the United Nations since 2017, was agreed in March 2023 and has since been awaiting ratification by a qualifying majority of countries, a process which means it becomes part of their national law.
As of Friday September 19 2025, the agreement reached 61 ratifications — thanks to Morocco and Sierra Leone — giving the world a powerful new tool in ocean protection.
On Saturday, September 20, St. Vincent raised this to 61 just ahead of New York Climate Week and the UN General Assembly.
Dr Judith Brown, Projects Director, Blue Marine Foundation, said: “This is an historic moment in ocean conservation, creating a framework for the effective delivery of high seas Marine Protected Areas.
“This agreement will help safeguard marine biodiversity, strengthen ocean governance, build climate resilience, and ensure that resources on the high seas are managed fairly and equitably for the benefit of all nations and future generations.”
The Agreement gives national governments and international bodies the legal authority to establish marine protected areas (MPAs) in international waters and to require environmental impact assessments for activities that could damage high seas ecosystems.
There are measures that are meant to ensure that marine genetic resources are shared fairly and that all nations benefit, together with provisions for strengthening capacity and technology-sharing for low-income countries.
These are the tools needed to halt biodiversity loss, protect ocean health and help meet global goals such as protecting 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030, agreed under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal in 2022.
At Blue Marine, the entry into force of this Treaty is a moment we have been preparing for. We will identify priority high seas areas that are biologically rich and under threat, to feed into MPA proposals once the Treaty is operational.
We will push for strong environmental impact assessments and mechanisms that benefit all countries and work with partners in developing countries so they can participate in decision-making, enforcement and data collection along with raising public awareness and engaging stakeholders to make this Treaty a lived reality in our ocean.
The first Conference of Parties (CoP1) to this new treaty must take place within one year of its entry into force — it is now thought likely to be in late 2026. Blue Marine is already gearing up for that.
The ocean has long suffered from lack of oversight in its most remote parts. For the first time, we have a legally binding framework that can bring accountability to high seas governance.
We will work with our partners to secure high seas marine protected areas to restore life in the ocean by protecting and restoring marine environments.
