UN urges swift ratification of High Seas Treaty to save oceans

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged governments to ratify the 2023 High Seas Treaty, warning that illegal fishing, plastic waste and rising ocean temperatures are pushing marine ecosystems toward crisis.

Opening the third UN Ocean Conference in Nice, António Guterres said humankind is “failing” the world’s oceans, citing collapsing fish stocks, rising sea levels and acidification. He stressed that oceans absorb about 30 percent of global CO₂ emissions, yet warming waters are eroding this crucial climate buffer. The High Seas Treaty—adopted in 2023—would let countries create marine parks in the two-thirds of international waters that are now largely unprotected; only 1 percent is currently safeguarded.

The pact needs ratification by 60 countries to enter into force; so far 50 have done so, with 15 more pledging to follow, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. 

Britain’s Prince William called the task of saving the oceans a challenge “like none we have faced before,” as UN data show ocean-health investments lag far behind the annual US$175 billion required.

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