High Seas Treaty was adopted in 2023 by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.
- It was mandated that it would enter into force 120 days after 60 countries ratified it.
About High Seas Treaty
- It is formally known as the Agreement on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement).
- It is a legally binding treaty.
- It is an agreement under the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction.
- It is the third implementing agreement to UNCLOS with the other two being 1994 Agreement related to the implementation of UNCLOS and the 1995 U.N. Fish Stocks Agreement.
- High Seas: These are areas beyond national jurisdiction which are global common oceans open to all for internationally lawful purposes such as navigation, overflight, laying submarine cables and pipelines, etc.
- India and High Seas Treaty
- In 2024, Union Cabinet approved India's signing of the High Seas Treaty.
- Implementing Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences
