NEW YORK (Enmaeya News) — September 23, 2025
Morocco and Sierra Leone have become the 60th and 61st countries to ratify the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement), bringing the pact closer to entering into force by early 2026.
The treaty establishes legally binding rules to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity, fairly share benefits from marine genetic resources, create protected areas, and strengthen scientific cooperation and capacity building.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the milestone “historic for the ocean and multilateralism,” emphasizing the treaty’s role in confronting climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. “The ocean’s health is humanity’s health,” he said, urging all states to ratify and implement the agreement swiftly.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen highlighted the ocean as the foundation of human survival, while High Seas Alliance Director Rebecca Hubbard called the ratifications a testament to global diplomacy and multilateral action.
Oceana Chief Scientist Dr. Katie Matthews noted that the high seas have long lacked oversight and stressed the need to move from ratification to real-world protection, aiming to safeguard 30% of the ocean by 2030. To date, 143 countries have signed the treaty, but only 61 have ratified it.
The treaty will be binding only for countries that have formally completed the ratification process, marking a major step toward sustainable governance of the world’s oceans.
