Protecting oceans beyond borders: Highlights of the High Seas Treaty

In 2023, the United Nations adopted the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) widely known as the ‘High Seas Treaty’. 

This treaty is the third implementing agreement to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Like its parent treaty, it has been negotiated around a package deal of issues, namely: 

• marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits  
• measures such as area-based management tools, including marine protected areas 
• environmental impact assessments, and 
• capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology 

United Nations BBNJ Agreement

Technical assistance to member countries 

The Commonwealth offers a programme of capacity building and technical assistance for members in their ratification and implementation of this Agreement. 

For more information, revisit our six-week webinar series that: 

• introduced the Agreement and its overall objectives for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction 
• raised awareness and enhance understanding of the Agreement, including its placement within the existing ocean governance framework to promote its familiarity and accessibility, and 
• identified next steps as states move towards ratification and implementation of the Agreement, including the identification of challenges, benefits and opportunities