After years of discussions, UN member states finally agreed Saturday on a text for the first international treaty to protect the high seas, a delicate and crucial treasure that covers nearly half of the earth.

"The ship has reached the shore," conference chair Rena Lee announced at the UN headquarters in New York shortly before 9:30 pm (0230 GMT Sunday), to loud and lengthy applause from delegates.

The specific wording of the resolution was not immediately revealed, but environmentalists praised it as a watershed moment for biodiversity protection after more than 15 years of debate.

The deal is regarded as critical to preserving 30% of the world's land and oceans by 2030, as promised by world governments in a historic agreement signed in Montreal in December. 

"This is a historic day for conservation and a sign that in a divided world, protecting nature and people can triumph over geopolitics," said Greenpeace's Laura Meller, as quoted by AFP.

Delegates finalized a text that cannot be drastically altered after two weeks of heated deliberations, including a marathon overnight session Friday into Saturday.

"There will be no reopening or discussions of substance," Lee told negotiators.

Furthermore, she revealed that the agreement would be legally ratified after it has been reviewed by attorneys and translated into the United Nations' six official languages.

According to a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the agreement marked a "success for multilateralism and worldwide efforts to reverse the detrimental trends confronting ocean health, now and for future generations."

It is worth noting that the high seas begin at the border of a country's exclusive economic zone, which can extend up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its shore. As a result, they are subject to the jurisdiction of no country.

Despite accounting for more than 60% of the world's oceans and over half of the planet's surface, the high seas have historically received significantly less attention than coastal waters and a few iconic species.

Ocean ecosystems produce half of the oxygen we breathe and help to minimize global warming by absorbing a large portion of the carbon dioxide released by human activity.

Yet, they are under threat from climate change, pollution, and overfishing.