As the world celebrates the long-awaited entry into force of the UN’s High Seas Treaty, the UK finds itself in a race against time to ratify the landmark agreement and secure its place at the table of the first-ever Ocean COP summit.
The High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, came into effect on Saturday after two decades of negotiations. The treaty provides the legal framework to create marine protected areas and ensure the sustainable use of resources in the high seas, which cover nearly half of the planet’s surface.
However, despite the UK’s initial signing of the treaty, the government has been criticised for the “glacial pace” of progress in making it into law. In a letter to the Foreign Secretary, the heads of 18 UK environmental charities have expressed their disappointment that the UK is still not among the 81 countries, including China, France, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and Brazil, that have ratified the treaty.
“Disappointingly, while the world celebrates, the UK is still not among the countries that have signed the treaty into law,” the letter states. “We urge the government to complete the ratification process at least 30 days before the first Ocean COP, which could take place as early as August this year, in order to guarantee the UK’s attendance there. It would be a failure of leadership to miss it.”
The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill, which would enshrine the High Seas Treaty into UK law, is currently making its way through Parliament, with its third reading in the House of Lords scheduled for Monday. A Foreign Office spokesperson has stated that the government is committed to ratifying the treaty quickly, using the standard democratic parliamentary process.
The High Seas Treaty’s entry into force marks a significant milestone in ocean governance, providing the tools to create marine protected areas and set clear obligations for the sustainable use of ocean resources. In East Sussex, a striking new mural in St Leonards-on-Sea has been unveiled to celebrate this momentous occasion, with artists, Indigenous people, activists, and communities from 13 countries across five continents coming together to create ocean protection-inspired street art.
As the world looks to the first Ocean COP summit, the UK’s ability to participate and shape the agenda will depend on its timely ratification of the High Seas Treaty. Environmental groups are urging the government to act swiftly, warning that a failure to do so would be a “failure of leadership” and risk the UK being shut out of this historic gathering.