On the first day of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, on Monday, 18 new countries ratified the High Seas Treaty for a total of 49 — just 11 shy of the 60 needed for the agreement to be enforced.
The swell of support added momentum to what could end up being a historic sea change in how the open ocean is governed.
“The entry into force is within our sight, and I call on all remaining nations to join swiftly,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters on Tuesday, as The Associated Press reported. “We do not have a moment to lose.”
Director of the High Seas Alliance Rebecca Hubbard called the ratifications a “powerful victory” for the people who have pushed for high seas protections to take center stage on the world’s environmental agenda, reported Euronews.
“Today’s surge of ratifications for the High Seas Treaty is a tidal wave of hope and a huge cause for celebration,” Hubbard said. “With just 11 more ratifications needed for entry into force, it could be just a matter of weeks before the 60 is achieved.”
President of France Emmanual Macron on Monday said the High Seas Treaty had garnered enough support to take effect at the start of 2026, “which means we would finally have an international framework to regulate and administer the high seas.”
At the start of the summit, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said 40 million euros had been pledged to the Global Ocean Program by the European Union to “bring the High Seas Treaty to life.”
The funds will be put toward supporting the efforts of African, Pacific and Caribbean nations to ratify and implement the High Seas Treaty.
“We all know the Treaty is a crucial instrument to protect our Ocean beyond borders,” von der Leyen said. “And indeed, we made it – the Treaty was agreed and adopted. And today, we are inches away from the 60 signatures for ratification.”
Nearly two-thirds of the planet’s seas are beyond any nation’s jurisdiction. In these “high seas” lie over 90 percent of marine habitat, as well as some of the richest biodiversity on Earth, Conservation International said. But despite plastic pollution, overfishing and climate change, just one percent of these waters are currently protected, with seabed mining looming on the horizon.
The High Seas Treaty — formally the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction — is the first agreement focused on the protection of marine biodiversity in international seas to be legally binding, The Associated Press reported.
“Until now, it has been the wild west on the high seas,” said Megan Randles, Greenpeace’s global political lead for oceans. “Now we have a chance to properly put protections in place.”
The High Seas Treaty is crucial for meeting the global “30×30” goal — an international promise to safeguard 30 percent of the world’s land and sea by the end of the decade.
The treaty creates the legal framework for the establishment of marine protected areas by nations in the high seas. This includes rules surrounding destructive activities such as deep-sea mining and geoengineering.
Importantly, decisions under the High Seas Treaty are to be made through conferences of parties (COPs), not by individual countries.
Once 60 ratifications are reached, a 120-day countdown starts before the treaty can officially be enforced. Once this time period elapses, protected areas can be designated and oversight mechanisms can be implemented.
“I see a momentum and an enthusiasm that was difficult to find in the past,” Guterres said, calling the treaty’s pace of progress “a record.”
The first Conference of the Parties (COP1) for the High Seas Treaty must take place within a year of it coming into force. The meeting will establish the treaty’s groundwork for implementation, including its financing, governance and the creation of main bodies for the evaluation of marine protection proposals.
“To reach 60 ratifications would be an absolutely enormous achievement, but for the treaty to be as effective as possible, we need countries from all over the world to engage in its implementation,” Hubbard said.
Among the nations that have just signed on to the treaty include the Pacific small island nations of Tuvalu and Vanuatu, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, the Solomon Islands and the Bahamas.
“We’re on the brink of making high seas history,” Hubbard said.
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