Signing of the High Seas Treaty

The United States yesterday signed the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, otherwise known as the High Seas Treaty at the United Nations in New York.

The ocean is one global system, and its health is key to the health of our planet.  This historic High Seas Treaty creates a coordinated approach to establishing marine protected areas on the high seas, a critical step to conserving ocean biodiversity and reaching the global community’s “30×30” target to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030.

The United States stands with the global community in committing to safeguard the health and resilience of our ocean so that it may continue to sustain us for generations to come.