Protecting the world’s oceans – an important success of Germany’s climate diplomacy
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Loading... - Aria Scavo
- 08 May 2023
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The sustenance of humanity is intricately linked with the world's oceans, which function as a regulator of global climate and a source of livelihood for billions of people. Despite the critical role that oceans play, the global community only recently reached a consensus on an international legally binding instrument on the preservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction after a prolonged and complex negotiation process that spanned two decades.
The urgency of this agreement cannot be overstated, given that our oceans are currently under threat from multiple factors, including overfishing, marine pollution, and the climate crisis. It is worth noting that two-thirds of the oceans lie outside state sovereign territory, and the vast majority of them have no special protection measures in place.
The marine conservation agreement that has been reached is a culmination of Germany and the EU's longstanding efforts in the United Nations to ensure the sustainable use and special protection of biological diversity in the seas and deep ocean floor. Once this agreement enters into force, it will pave the way for the establishment of area-based protective measures, including marine protected areas, on a global scale, with a majority vote required for the first time. The successful implementation of this agreement is critical to achieving the central goal of the Kunming-Montreal Global Diversity Framework, which is to protect 30 percent of the world's oceans by 2030.
Moreover, the agreement mandates the introduction of environmental impact assessments for all human activities that have a significant impact on the marine environment of the high seas. Capacity-building and technology transfer initiatives will enable all countries to participate in the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity. Compensation rules will be fairly established for developing countries regarding the use of marine genetic resources of the high seas and the deep ocean floor.
The agreement also seeks to enhance international cooperation and research capacities for the largely unexplored biodiversity of the high seas and deep ocean floor.
What comes next is the implementation of the treaty, which our diplomats have fought hard to make ambitious, effective, balanced, and suitable for the future. After formal adoption at another intergovernmental conference, the agreement will be open for signature, and it will enter into force 120 days later after ratification by at least 60 states.
