The High Seas Treaty officially came into force on 17 January, giving the world its first legal framework for protecting marine life in international waters, Euronews reports. The agreement crossed the threshold of 60 ratifications in September 2025, which triggered the countdown to it becoming binding law.
The high seas make up more than two-thirds of the ocean and roughly half of Earth’s surface, yet until now there was no shared way to safeguard them. The treaty changes that. Countries can now create marine protected areas in international waters, by vote if consensus fails, and must carry out environmental impact assessments before activities that could harm the open ocean. It also includes support for developing nations and rules for sharing the benefits of marine genetic resources.
Campaigners say the real work of designating and policing protected areas starts now, but the treaty turns decades of negotiation into a working tool for one of the planet’s least protected places.
Source: Euronews