Ocean agreements in force

Two important agreements for the protection of the oceans and their living resources have now come into force: the High Seas Treaty, and the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement.

High Seas Treaty

The ocean makes up nearly 70% of the planet’s surface, but beyond national exclusive economic zones, much of the ocean is the High Seas, thus no one's responsibility.

After nearly 20 years, governments, scientists and ocean advocates have finally secured a global treaty to protect marine life in the ocean areas that lie beyond countries’ individual jurisdictions. These vast, mostly unregulated waters, known as the high seas, hold huge importance to the health of the planet.

On 19 September 2025, Morocco became the 60th country to ratify the Treaty for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ agreement), under the UN Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS). Commonly known as the High Seas Treaty, it will enter into force 120 days from its 60th ratification.

Now the first Conference of Parties (BBNJ-COP) is being planned, where the details on how this treaty will be fully implemented will be discussed. Included in these discussions will be the designation of high seas marine protected areas, environmental impact assessment procedures for activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction, and benefit-sharing mechanisms for marine genetic resources.

Why the High Seas Treaty Matters

The ambition of the High Seas Treaty has always been immense. Roughly two-thirds of the ocean lies outside any single country’s jurisdiction, forming a collective space teeming with life from microscopic plankton to colossal blue whales.

The high seas are also home to lucrative natural resources, which countries and companies increasingly seek to explore and exploit, such as critical minerals on the deep sea bottom needed for EV batteries and other low carbon technologies, and marine genetic materials that might contribute to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and other innovations.

Yet, without a binding treaty, the high seas are governed patchwork-style through regional fisheries agreements, shipping conventions and scattered marine protected areas. This leaves critical gaps in protecting marine biodiversity or ensuring developing countries are also benefiting from discoveries made in international waters.

The High Seas Treaty will fill critical regulatory gaps, complement national efforts and unlock the ability to start implementing the treaty’s conservation measures, which are critical for achieving international climate and biodiversity goals. In addition, the treaty will help guide regional cooperation and link seamlessly to sustainable ocean plans for national waters already being delivered by member countries of the High Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy. Together, they will create a more comprehensive ocean stewardship from coastlines to open ocean.

What's Included in the High Seas Treaty

In 2023, countries compromised on four core pillars of the BBNJ agreement:

1) Area-Based Management Tools, including Marine Protected Areas

The treaty will create a mechanism to establish marine protected areas (MPAs) and other conservation management tools on the high seas. MPAs are typically clearly defined geographical spaces, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to conserve marine biodiversity and ecosystems.

Many MPAs on the high seas already exist. For example, in 2010, six MPAs were established in the Northeast Atlantic with a total area of 286,200 square kilometers (110,502 square miles) and in 2016, the Ross Sea MPA with a total area of 1.5 million square kilometers (600,000 square miles) was established in the Southern Ocean.

The treaty will also establish a process for proposing new zones for protection via a consultation process, supported by scientific evidence.

2) Marine Genetic Resources

The treaty will also establish rules for sharing financial and non-financial benefits from the commercial application of genetic material sourced from high-seas marine organisms — such as bacteria, corals or deep-sea sponges — that can be used in medicine, cosmetics, food, and biotechnology. These innovations hold huge potential benefits for human health and wellbeing.

3) Capacity Building and Transfer of Marine Technology

The High Seas Treaty also supports sharing technology and knowledge developments, particularly to low-income countries that need and request it for conservation and sustainable use to ensure they participate fully in high seas governance.

4) Environmental Impact Assessments

The treaty will create a process for countries or companies proposing high seas activities — such as deep-sea mining in areas beyond national borders — to conduct assessments and follow international standards, that can be shared transparently.

Which Countries Signed the High Seas Treaty?

As of 19 September 2025, the treaty has been ratified by 60 parties. Those that were among the first to ratify the treaty included island states such as Palau, Cuba, and the Maldives; European Union members including France, Portugal and Spain; and other nations such as Chile, Norway and South Korea. Morocco became the 60th country to ratify the treaty.

WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement

Also in September, the World Trade Organization Fisheries Subsidies Agreement has officially entered into force. This mobilizes governments to reform fisheries subsidies programs and to build capacity to redirect harmful subsidies toward sustainable fisheries, benefiting coastal communities and the ocean more broadly.

It begins to correct a system that has, for too long, rewarded overfishing and destructive practices. Every year, an estimated US$22 billion in harmful fisheries subsidies undermine coastal communities and threaten the future of the very industry they aim to support. Already, one-third of assessed fish stocks are being fished beyond sustainable levels.

This new global framework is key to achieving the 2030 Agenda, including SDG 14.6, and delivering Target 18 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to eliminate or reform harmful subsidies. It prohibits subsidies where they are most damaging: when illegal fishing has been determined; when fish stocks are overfished and no recovery measures are in place; or when fishing targets unregulated stocks on the high seas. It also lays the groundwork for greater transparency in fisheries and subsidies related data and accountability.

This agreement is a crucial milestone toward a future where fisheries are managed equitably, fish stocks are rebuilt, and ocean resilience is restored. And with the tremendous progress on ratifications of the High Seas Treaty - paving the way for its entry into force - we see that the ocean remains a force for multilateral collaboration and global progress.

SOURCES: based on World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/insights/high-seas-treaty-explainer
WWF https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:737328217765410406…