After 15 years of discussions, the United Nations reaches an agreement to protect the high seas

It’s a historic deal. On Saturday 4 March, the 51 member states of the United Nations found common ground on the first international treaty for the protection of the high seas, a text aimed at protecting its ecosystems, essential for the survival of humanity.

“The ship has reached shore announced Rena Lee, chair of the conference, at United Nations headquarters in New York.

The 51 member states of the United Nations have signed the first international treaty to protect the high seas

In total, it took more than 15 years of heated discussions to reach an agreement. Long ignored in debates for better environmental protection, the high seas, which represent almost 60% of the oceans, half of the surface of the planet – begins where the countries’ exclusive economic zones end, i.e. at a maximum of 370 km from the coast.

It is therefore not under the jurisdiction of any state, which explains why has long been ignored in favor of better protection of coastal areas.

The agreement still needs to be reviewed by the legal services before being adopted

After four years of formal negotiations, the third ” last New York session finalized the text, which can no longer be changed. But this has yet to be adopted at a later stage, after being vetted by the legal services and translated to be available in the six official languages ​​of the United Nations.

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The exact content of the text has not been published, but environmentalists have defined it as decisive for the protection of biodiversity, as reported byAFP extensionspecifically transmitted by european 1. Agence France Presse quotes Laura Meller, member of Greenpeace, who welcomed: “Today is a historic day for conservation and a sign that, in a divided world, the protection of nature and people can triumph over geopolitics. »