India has signed an international agreement to protect marine biodiversity on the high seas. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar signed the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 25 September 2024.
About BBNJ Agreement
- The treaty is known as the “Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement).”
- It is also known as the High Seas Treaty.
- It is an international accord under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- The BBNJ was adopted on 19 June 2023 by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction convened under the auspices of the United Nations.
- It is an international legal binding instrument. it is open for signature in New York until 20 September 2025.
- The Treaty will allow the creation of large protected areas on the High Seas to recovery of marine life and increase its resilience to climate change.
- So far 101 countries including India have signed the treaty to express their consent to the treaty and intends to examine it domestically and consider ratifying it. However, only 10 countries so far have ratified it.
- It will formally enter into force when at least 60 governments have written it into national law.
- The high seas cover areas nearly two-thirds (64%) of the ocean – almost half the planet’s surface.
- The agreement seeks to ensure that marine life is conserved and used in a sustainable manner on the high seas, which is beyond nations’ territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone that could extend up to 200 nautical miles or 370 km from the shores.
- Parties cannot claim or exercise sovereign rights over marine resources derived from the high seas and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
