The Global Ocean Treaty will come into force!
Date:
October 17, 2025
Oceans are key ecosystems. They are a source of diverse and wonderful life, support food security, absorb huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and are the common heritage of all humanity. However, industrial fishing, pollution, the climate crisis and oil drilling pose a profound threat to them.
In response to the destruction of these environments, a global agreement was adopted in 2022 at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) to halt biodiversity loss. One of the goals is to effectively protect at least 30% of the oceans and marine areas by 2030. At the current rate of protection, this goal will not be achieved by the end of this century. The situation could be improved by the implementation of the Global Ocean Treaty, which aims to develop tools for effective protection, including the creation of ocean reserves and the introduction of modern ocean management.
The Ocean Treaty is the colloquial name for the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, signed on 22 September 2023 in New York.
The agreement is crucial for tackling the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. According to the OECD report ‘The Ocean Economy to 2050’, the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems through this document is of vital importance to the global economy. The ocean economy is estimated to be worth between three and six trillion dollars annually. This agreement will facilitate the establishment of protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction, in distant seas and oceans . The treaty will also enable the development of science and technology and the fair sharing of benefits arising from research and the use of genetic material from organisms living in the oceans, which may become a source of new medicines or industrial innovations.
The treaty has been signed by 145 countries. However, in order for it to enter into force, it had to be ratified by 60 countries. This goal was achieved in September this year. From that moment, there are still 120 days left to ratify and accede to the treaty. To date, 75 countries have ratified it, with Palestine being the last country to do so on 1 October. Next year, the first convention of the parties to the Agreement will be held, where further steps to protect the seas and oceans will be determined.
Unfortunately, Poland has not yet ratified this agreement, although it signed it two years ago. Polish scientists and non-governmental organisations are calling for the agreement to be ratified so that Poland can also benefit from the Ocean Treaty, for example through access to new marine technologies and marine genetic resources.
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