Thank you for contacting me about the Global Ocean Treaty.
I share your concern about the need to do all we can to safeguard our environment. The Global Ocean Treaty aims to create a legal mechanism by which marine conservation can be enacted in international waters.
Currently, only 1.2 per cent of the world’s oceans are protected and in 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) found that nearly 10 per cent of global marine species are at risk of extinction.
It is clear that more must be done if we are to protect our environment for future generations.
I am pleased that the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ) was agreed by UN negotiators on 6 March 2023, following almost ten years of negotiations. It will provide the necessary legislative framework with which to place 30 per cent of the world’s oceans under a protected status by 2030.
However, it has yet to be ratified by the UK Government.
In recognition of the treaty’s importance for global efforts to conserve biodiversity, I wrote to the Foreign Secretary and asked for clarification on when the treaty will be ratified.
I was pleased that the response I received stressed the Government’s commitment to ratifying the treaty, given its significance to the development of a global framework for protecting biodiversity.
The UK took a leading role in procuring the success of the BBNJ, following 10 years of negotiations. Before any treaty is ratified by the UK Parliament, legislation and other relevant measures must be put in place to ensure that the UK is able to comply with the treaty’s obligations.
The response confirmed that work is currently ongoing to apply the necessary measures, and that the Government has set the ambitious target of completing the ratification of the treaty by June 2025.
The UK is taking proactive steps to prepare for the Global Ocean Treaty, and I welcome the work the UK is undertaking to support developing countries adopt the treaty. By contributing to the BBNJ Voluntary Trust Fund, the UK is enabling developing countries to participate in UN discussions on preparatory work for the treaty’s implementation.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
