“The ocean is our greatest ally, whether you live here in Europe, or anywhere in the world,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “But if we neglect the ocean, if we treat it without respect, it will turn against us,” she added, pointing to the “ever more violent storms [that] ravage our coasts.”
Macron and von der Leyen spoke at the third United Nations Conference on the Oceans (UNOC) in Nice, France, where delegations from more than 120 countries, including more than 50 heads of state and government, are gathered in an attempt to resuscitate the world’s long-suffering oceans.
The High Seas Treaty — or the the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), as it’s officially known — sets standards for the creation of marine protected areas in international waters, among other measures. It can only be implemented once at least 60 countries have officially ratified it.
The agreement will, supporters hope, go a long way toward protecting 30 percent of the planet’s lands and seas by 2030 as foreseen in the COP15 biodiversity agreement reached in December.
Thanks to 15 countries which have newly “formally committed to joining” — on top of the 50 or so ratifications already submitted — the High Seas Treaty will soon be implemented, Macron said Monday morning.
“So that’s a win,” he said.
