Foreign Secretary Ebrard welcomes agreement reached in UN on treaty to protect the world's oceans

Foreign Secretary Ebrard welcomes agreement reached in UN on treaty to protect the world's oceans

• After decades of talks, UN member states successfully concluded the negotiation of an international treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas.
• The agreement keeps alive the 30×30 goal of protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030.
• Mexico played an active part in negotiating the agreement, maintaining a position between the use versus conservation of marine biodiversity.

Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard welcomed the successful conclusion of negotiations after years of effort by the international community, which has led to an international treaty that addresses the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in international waters.

Yesterday, at UN headquarters, UN delegates concluded negotiations on the key aspects of a legally binding international treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). The high seas make up 95 percent of the ocean's volume and are essential for life on Earth.

The agreement represents a unique opportunity for achieving global governance based on multilateral coordination and cooperation under the principle of the common heritage of humanity.

The BBNJ agreement keeps alive the 30×30 goal - to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 - by providing a pathway to creating fully or highly protected areas in the world's oceans. This is in addition to other measures that will protect and conserve the high seas, and those that may be adopted by regional or national organizations for the conservation of marine biodiversity.

Foreign Secretary Ebrard said, "Mexico has worked very hard for this, and we are very happy [...] Just imagine being able to protect 30% of the oceans…Sometimes we aren't aware of the devastation at sea. We don't see it or we can't measure it, and it is a great deal of devastation that must be stopped. That is why this treaty is important."

The BBNJ agreement will create protected natural areas, and monitor and evaluate the impact of human activities on the marine environment beyond areas of national jurisdiction. It also promotes the fair and equitable distribution of access to marine genetic resources, while respecting Mexico's national interests as a coastal State.

The Foreign Ministry commends the Mexican delegation's role in negotiating the BBNJ agreement, not only within the Conference, but also in building consensus and alliances in the periods between sessions.

From the beginning of the process, Mexico was a co-facilitator, together with New Zealand, of UN General Assembly Resolution 72/294 on the need to establish an Intergovernmental Conference to negotiate a treaty of this type. Mexico worked together with the Core Latin American countries (CLAM) and led a group of like-minded States in intersessional workshops to encourage discussion and an exchange of views.

Lastly, in February 2022, Mexico joined the BBNJ High Ambition Coalition to forge a strong agreement that resists the passage of time and is separate from economic interests that could stop or cancel it. Now that agreement has been reached on the key aspects of the BBNJ agreement, only technical issues remain to be ironed out.