The High Seas Treaty, officially known as the Agreement on
the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity
of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) was
signed in September 2023, during the United Nations General
Assembly in New York. This Convention what is now regarded as one
of the most important environmental agreements for the protection
of the oceans.
In June 2025, the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice
brought together over 50 heads of state, to highlight, among other
things, the importance of ratifying this treaty, in order to
preserve and protect the oceans.
After nearly 20 years of negotiation, the treaty aims to address
a number of thorny issues which had previously been not been
resolved:
