Preservation of the high seas: UN races against time to approve agreement

Representatives of UN member states spent the early hours of Saturday (4) trying to overcome differences and reach an agreement that guarantees the preservation of the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure. After 15 years of informal and formal discussions, the delegations that make up the United Nations have already exceeded the two weeks of the third round of negotiations in less than a year, in New York, by several hours, and so far, there has been no agreement.

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Marcela Guimarães

March 4, 2023 16:31

Negotiations have been a rollercoaster in recent days, and delegates were meeting behind closed doors this Saturday (4) to try to reach an agreement.

During the negotiations, several points of divergence emerged, such as the measure of creating protected zones, which aims to analyze the impact of high-seas activities on the environment and the distribution of potential benefits from the exploitation of marine genetic resources.

In this final stretch, observers expect a boost from the Our Ocean conference, which is taking place simultaneously in Panama, in the presence of several ministers discussing the protection and sustainable exploration of the oceans.

“We still have some issues to clarify, but we are making progress and delegations are showing flexibility,” said conference chair Rena Lee in a brief plenary session around 3:30 a.m. Brasília time.

The highly political chapter on sharing the potential benefits of marine genetic resources was absent from the latest draft of the text.

“It is clear that they are still trying with all their might to reach an agreement today, otherwise they would have thrown in the towel,” said Nathalie Rey, from the High Seas Alliance, which brings together around forty NGOs.

Even if commitments are reached in all other chapters, a treaty cannot be formally adopted this session, said Rena Lee. Even if there is no formal agreement, it would be “a huge step forward”, Veronica Frank, from Greenpeace, told AFP.

Last Friday, the United States reported the release of a large amount to protect the oceans:

US announces around US$6 billion to protect oceans

The United States withpromeAt the “Our Ocean” world conference in Panama, they had to allocate almost US$6 billion (R$31 billion) to protect the seas and combat threats such as pollution and illegal fishing. The announcement does not reveal the period in which these disbursements will be made, but highlights that the amount is “more than double” what the US promehad at the conference last year.

What is the high seas?

The high seas begin where countries' Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) end, up to a maximum of 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coast, and, therefore, is not under the jurisdiction of any nation.

Although rrepresent more than 60% of the oceans and almost half of the planet, the high seas were ignored for a long time, as attention focused on coastal areas and symbolic species, such as whales and turtles.

And this despite the fact that oceanic ecosystems are responsible for half of the oxygen we breathe, limit warming by absorbing part of the CO2 generated by human actions and feed part of humanity. But they are threatened by climate change, pollution of all kinds and overfishing.

(Source: AFP)

See also:

Cure for cancer and other diseases may be at the bottom of the sea

Scientists are looking in microbes in marine sediments, in bacteria that live in symbiosis with a mollusk or hidden in the secretions of a sponge, for molecules that could help in the revolutionary treatment against cancer or in the manufacture of a new antibiotic. Current UN negotiations on a treaty to protect the high seas have put these investigations under the spotlight.

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This post was last modified on March 4, 2023 16:33 pm

Marcela Guimarães