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UN countries have reached an agreement on a High Seas Protection Treaty, an instrument that has been discussed for years and that experts and environmental groups consider vital
UN countries have reached an agreement on a High Seas Protection Treaty, an instrument that has been discussed for years and that experts and environmental groups consider vital to saving the oceans.
The consensus was reached after a lengthy round of negotiations that began on February 20 and was due to end this Friday, but which continued all night and into Saturday, with more than 35 hours of non-stop discussions to iron out the final differences.
Among other things, the text lays the foundation for establishment of marine protected areaswhich should make it easier to meet the international promise to protect at least 30% of the oceans by a year. 2030.
“The ship has landed,” announced the exhausted chairman of the talks, Rena Li, to confirm that consensus had finally been reached on the document, news that was greeted with thunderous applause by the delegations gathered at headquarters. United Nations.
However, the formal adoption of the treaty will have to wait a little longer until the technical team harmonizes the terms used in it and translates it into the six official languages. UNas agreed today by the countries.
Some, including Russia, however, have left the door open to re-open some questions because they have not been able to go into some detail due to harsh conditions in recent hours. negotiation and the fact that some of its experts have already left New York.
“This is a historic day of conservation and a sign that in a divided world To protect nature Now people can impose themselves on geopolitics,” said Laura Moeller of the environmental advocacy group. Greenpeace.
pollution, etc. changing of the climate and new technologies that open the door to mining at the bottom of the seas and fishing More intense, according to experts, are the main threats to the open sea, which accounts for two-thirds of the entire oceans.
Despite their great importance for the planet, so far these waters, located at a distance of more than 200 nautical miles from the coast and which are common to all countries, have been managed in accordance with a number of agreements and International organizations without clear jurisdiction, without much coordination and with inadequate rules for their protection.
The new treaty will be concluded within the framework of the already existing UN Convention on law of the sea and seeks to “ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.”
Among the issues that could only be resolved at the last minute, he singled out the split between the North and the South in how to share the benefits of the sea, especially everything related to marine genetic resources -species that may provide patentable genes in the future, for example for use in medicine-.
The issue clashes between the interests of some rich countries, which are best able to take advantage of these gains, and those of the developing world, which fears being excluded.
environmental organizationsactively present throughout the process, pressured governments to enter into a solid and ambitious treaty, which they see as a unique opportunity to protect the oceans.
“Governments and civil society must now ensure that the agreement is quickly adopted and enforced, and effectively implemented to protect biodiversity on the high seas,” said Liz Karan, director of the Oceans Campaign in the United States. Pew Charities.
EFE
09Int_SeAchieveTreatyOceans_5 March by Aristegui Noticias on Scribd
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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