UN makes historic agreement on biodiversity in ocean

The United Nations adopted a historic agreement aiming to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction which cover over two-thirds of the ocean, Report informs, citing UN's official website.

“You have pumped new life and hope to give the ocean a fighting chance”, noted António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. He commended the adoption of the agreement as a demonstration of the strength of multilateralism. “By acting to counter threats to our planet that go beyond national boundaries, you are demonstrating that global threats deserve global action”, he said, “and that countries can come together, in unity, for the common good”.

Building on the legacy of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, this groundbreaking agreement significantly strengthens the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in over two-thirds of the ocean. It provides an essential framework for cross-sectoral cooperation between and among States and other stakeholders to promote the sustainable development of the ocean and its resources and to address the manifold pressures it faces. The effective and timely implementation of this Agreement will make crucial contributions to achieving the ocean-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.