UN member states reached an agreement on Saturday to establish a treaty to protect the high seas, after more than 15 years of negotiations.
A consensus was reached after a marathon of negotiations that began on February 20 and was supposed to end on Friday, but continued overnight into Saturday, with more than 35 hours of ongoing discussions.
The document defines, among other things, the bases for the establishment of marine protected areas, which should facilitate the international commitment to safeguard at least 30% of the oceans by 2030.
“The ship has reached the coast,” announced the chairperson of the negotiations, Rena Lee, confirming that there was finally a consensus on the document. The news was greeted with a standing ovation from the delegations gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The formal adoption of the treaty, however, will have to wait until a group of technicians ensures the uniformity of the terms used in the document and that it is translated into the six official languages of the UN.
“This is a historic day for conservation and a sign that, in a divided world, protecting nature and people can trump geopolitics,” said Laura Meller of the environmental group Greenpeace, in a first reaction.
Source: TSF
