The first international high-seas agreement, which the UN member states agreed on in March after years of negotiations, is to be officially adopted in June. The UN General Assembly passed a corresponding resolution yesterday (local time) in New York. The meeting for the adoption of the protection agreement was “provisionally” scheduled for June 19th and 20th.
At the beginning of March, the UN member states agreed on the first international high seas agreement to protect the world’s oceans and the biodiversity there, after more than 15 years of wrangling over it. The agreement now has to be reviewed by legal experts and translated into the six working languages of the UN.
Ratification required in 60 countries
After the agreement has been officially adopted by the UNO states, the individual member states can then ratify it. In order for it to come into force, it must be ratified in at least 60 countries.
The environmental organization Pew Charitable Trusts welcomed “the continued positive momentum for this new agreement”. The resolution of the UN General Assembly provides the necessary timeframe for its implementation.
