International ocean treaty must protect marine live

MOSAIC-INDONESIA.COM; After nearly two decades of international efforts, a treaty to protect and sustainably manage marine life—including in the depths of international waters—took effect on Saturday, January 10, 2026. The move is widely seen as a major step forward in ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of the ocean's ecosystems.

The agreement, known as the UN High Seas Treaty (BBNJ — Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction), is a legally binding United Nations treaty covering ocean areas beyond national waters—the high seas—and the international seabed.

More than two-thirds of the ocean’s surface and over 90% of Earth’s habitable space by volume fall under the scope of the treaty, reflecting the vast scale of the ocean and the fact that most of the planet’s living space lies underwater.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed the treaty’s entry into force, stating that in a world of mounting crises, it “fills a critical governance gap to ensure resilient and productive oceans for all. Let us now move swiftly toward full and universal implementation.”

Why the Treaty Matters

The BBNJ is designed to ensure that the high seas and the international seabed are managed sustainably for the benefit of all humanity. It is also the first legally binding ocean instrument to promote inclusive ocean governance, with provisions on the engagement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, as well as gender balance.

Once fully implemented, the treaty is expected to play a vital role in addressing the “triple planetary crisis”—climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

In an interview with UN News, Tanzanian diplomat Mzee Ali Haji, who led his country’s negotiation team during the BBNJ talks, said the treaty marks a significant leap in protecting international waters:

“Everyone must remember that there is now oversight of activities on the high seas. For instance, if you pollute, you are accountable for your actions.”

The BBNJ strengthens the existing international legal framework. It builds upon the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—often called the “constitution for the ocean”—which has governed maritime exploitation, seabed use, and marine protection since 1994.

The treaty also aims to ensure the effective implementation of UNCLOS by providing detailed provisions on biodiversity management and aligning ocean governance with modern challenges such as climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the UN’s blueprint for tackling the world’s most complex challenges.

Ratification and Entry into Force

With its entry into force, the treaty becomes legally binding for the 81 countries that have ratified it so far—meaning they have committed to implementing it nationally. The treaty stipulates that it would enter into force 120 days after being ratified by at least 60 countries.

Who has joined?

Countries that have ratified the BBNJ include several major economies, notably China, Germany, Japan, France, and Brazil.

China, in particular, plays an enormously influential role in ocean-related industries—such as shipbuilding, aquaculture, fisheries, and offshore oil and gas—exporting $155 billion worth of ocean-linked goods in 2023, according to UN trade data.

Major Holdouts

The United States, the world’s largest economy and a top-five exporter of ocean-related goods ($61 billion in 2023), signed the treaty in 2023 but has not yet ratified it, and the Senate has taken no action on it.

India, a major exporter among developing nations ($19 billion), adopted the treaty in 2024 but its domestic ratification legislation remains pending. The United Kingdom introduced legislation on the matter in 2025, but Parliament has yet to ratify the treaty.

Russia remains one of the few countries that has neither signed nor ratified the agreement, citing its desire to preserve the existing governance framework and ensure freedom of navigation and shipping in international waters.

Hope for Broader Adoption

Despite the reluctance of some major economies to fully commit, Mzee Ali Haji remains optimistic about the BBNJ’s potential impact:

“Developing countries and small island states need support,” he said. “We hope that in the future, more countries will join, because this treaty will help them. Protecting the high seas is everyone’s responsibility.”

He acknowledged that full global consensus takes time: “When you negotiate something, you cannot get 100 percent of countries to ratify or accept it in one go. Some will observe first, and once they see the benefits, they will join. I believe others will join in the future.”

Implementation and Next Steps

Beyond universal participation, the key to the BBNJ’s success lies in implementation, including action against those who violate its rules. According to the treaty text, the first meeting to monitor progress in these areas will be held no later than one year after the treaty’s entry into force.

A Historic UN Agreement

Since its adoption in June 2023, the High Seas Treaty has been signed by 148 countries, representing over three-quarters of all UN member states.

Countries that have fully ratified the treaty into their national laws include island nations such as Palau, Cuba, and the Maldives, alongside several of the world’s largest economies.

The BBNJ offers new protections for an area covering two-thirds of the world’s ocean and as many as 10 million different species, many of which remain unidentified.

Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance—an NGO coalition that advocated for the treaty—said the agreement provides a way to safeguard an “extraordinary part of our planet.”

“The high seas are teeming with life, from tiny plankton to the great whales that depend on it,” Hubbard said in a statement. “We are only beginning to understand how vital this vast, interconnected world is to the health of our entire planet.”

She added: “Whether it’s underwater mountains, deep-sea plains and trenches, frigid polar waters, or the open migratory highways of marine species, the high seas are as vital as they are vast.”

The U.S. Position

The United States, which signed the treaty in 2023, is among several countries that have not yet ratified it—alongside India, the UK, and Russia, according to the UN’s list of signatories.

Countries that have signed but not ratified the treaty are not legally bound to meet its requirements but are expected to refrain from activities that undermine its objectives.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced plans to withdraw from various UN conventions and agreements—though the High Seas Treaty was not included in the list of 66 UN and international bodies slated for withdrawal, released last month.

Trump has also signed controversial executive orders to expand deep-sea mining, pledged to broaden offshore oil drilling, and moved to undo international agreements aimed at cleaning up polluting fuels in global shipping.