Chile, first country to ratify the UN agreement for the protection of the high seas

Chili This Tuesday it became the first country in the world to ratify the Global Treaty of the Oceansa historic agreement for the conservation of marine biodiversity in international waters (high seas) and which seeks to protect 30% of the seas by 2030.

Unanimously, the Chilean Senate approved the so-called Agreement on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), which was agreed upon by the countries that are part of the United Nations (UN). ) in March of last year after two decades of negotiations.

“The approval of this treaty confirms the oceanic vocation that our country has had,” said after the vote the Chilean Foreign Minister, Alberto van Klaveren, who recalled that Chile offered the port city of Valparaíso, 110 kilometers from Santiago, as the headquarters of the Secretariat of the agreement.

Environmental groups have insisted for years that this treaty is vital to save the oceans, threatened by pollution, the climate crisis and new technologies, which open the door to mining at the bottom of the seas and more intensive fishing.

International waters, located more than 200 nautical miles from the coast and shared by all countries, account for two thirds of the total oceans and until now have been managed under a series of international agreements and organizations, without clear jurisdiction, without too much coordination and with inadequate regulations for their protection.

“It is one of the most important environmental treaties of recent decades and in which, throughout its entire process, the countries of our region and particularly Chile, played a key role in leading its debate,” indicated Estefanía González, deputy director of Greenpeace Chile Campaigns.

The new treaty, negotiations for which began in 2004, also ensures that the environmental impact of activities in international waters is taken into account and facilitates cooperation between countries in marine technology.

In addition, it creates a framework for sharing the benefits of the sea, especially everything related to marine genetic resources – species that can provide patentable genes in the future, for example, for use in medicine.

For the new treaty to enter into force, it must be ratified by at least 60 countries, which is expected to be achieved before the United Nations Ocean Conference, which will be held in France in June 2025.

“It is historic that Chile is the first to take this step, it is a very important and urgent signal. Without a treaty in force, we cannot advance in the protection actions that the planet needs. “We hope that our ratification is an invitation for the rest of the States to join soon,” added the Greenpeace spokesperson.