• Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Feature
  • Videos
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Feature
Videos
Infographs
In Pictures
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. US & Canada
  4. Long-awaited deal to protect high seas approved: UN
US & Canada

Long-awaited deal to protect high seas approved: UN

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 5 Mar 07:44

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.

  • A green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) swims near Gorgona Island in the Pacific Ocean off the southwestern Colombian coast. (AFP)
    A green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) swims near Gorgona Island in the Pacific Ocean off the southwestern Colombian coast. (AFP)

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.

  • United States
  • UN resolution
  • Climate change
  • high seas biodiversity

Trending Now

All
California sees its largest 2022 fire.

California sees its largest fire in 2022

Most Read

Indonesian president Joko Widodo during an interview in Jakarta in 2016 (Reuters)

Widodo urges Indonesia to abandon Visa, MasterCard to be 'independent'

  • Asia
  • 16 Mar
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen listens to opening remarks before testifying before the Senate Finance Committee about the President's proposed budget request for the fiscal year 2024, Thursday, March 16, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)

US Debt ceiling ‘must be raised’ ahead of default: Treasury Secretary

  • US & Canada
  • 16 Mar
The Desert of the Real; Russia's SMO a year later

The Desert of the Real; Russia's SMO a year later

  • Europe
  • 14 Mar
Rallies held in Washington DC to protest US militarism

Peace rallies held in Washington DC to protest US militarism

  • US & Canada
  • 18 Mar

Read this

All
20 years on, US-led Iraq War atrocities revealed in numbers
MENA

20 years on, US-led Iraq War atrocities revealed in numbers

  • 20 Mar
People walk past rubble of damaged buildings, in the aftermath of the earthquake, in Aleppo, Syria February 7, 2023. (Reuters)
MENA

Donors pledge €7bln as quake aid for Turkey, Syria, fall vastly short

  • 20 Mar
so maliuhhhh
Africa

Somalia to record 135 deaths a day due to drought: UN study

  • Today
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US in April 2022 (AP)
US & Canada

20% of Americans agree with Greene's 'national divorce' between states

  • 20 Mar
Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS