Germany ratifies UN high seas biodiversity treaty, joining global marine protection effort

At the UN General Assembly in New York, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider submitted Germany’s ratification instrument for the UN high seas biodiversity treaty, officially bringing the country into the pact. He described the accord as the foremost international environmental success of recent years, emphasizing continued global willingness to cooperate even amid geopolitical tensions. The treaty, known as the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ-Agreement), expands the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to protect marine ecosystems beyond national exclusive economic zones, encompassing about two-thirds of the world’s oceans.

Germany’s newly enacted high-seas protection law, approved by the Bundestag, will obligate German-flagged ships and research teams to comply with the treaty’s rules once it becomes effective. The inaugural conference of parties, dubbed Ocean-COP, is set for January 2027 in New York, while the establishment of marine protected areas is slated for subsequent sessions. Schneider highlighted the urgent need for such safeguards given one outlet threats of plastic waste, overfishing, chemicals and climate change.