HIGH SEAS TREATY
CONTEXT:
- Recently the UN adopted the Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) or the High Seas Treaty.
MORE ABOUT THE NEWS:
- It became the third agreement to be approved under UNCLOS, after the 1994 and 1995 treaties, which established the International Seabed Authority and the Fish Stocks agreement.
ABOUT HIGH SEAS TREATY:
- The United Nations High Seas Treaty is a legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction
- It is an agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and is also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty or the BBNJ treaty.
- The treaty addresses four themes:
(1) Marine genetic resources (MGRs), including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits
(2) area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs)
(3) environmental impact assessments (EIAs)
(4) Capacity building and transfer of marine technology (CB&TMT).
- The area-based management tools and environmental impact assessments relate mainly to conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity.
- The marine genetic resources and capacity building and transfer of marine technology include issues of economic justice and equity.
- The treaty recognizes traditional knowledge.
- It has articles regarding the principle “polluter-pays”, and different impacts of human activities including areas beyond the national jurisdiction of the countries making those activities.
- The agreement was adopted by the 193 United Nations Member States
OBJECTIVES OF THE TREATY:
- The treaty aims to address critical issues such as the increasing sea surface temperatures, overexploitation of marine biodiversity, overfishing, coastal pollution, and unsustainable practices beyond national jurisdiction.
- The first step is establishing marine protected areas to protect oceans from human activities through a “three quarterly majority vote,” which prevents the decision from getting blocked by one or two parties.
- The last pillar of the treaty is capacity building and marine technology.
- The Scientific and Technical Body will also play a significant role in environmental impact assessment.
- The body will be creating standards and guidelines for assessment procedures, and helping countries with less capacity in carrying out assessments.
SYLLABUS: PRELIMS, CURRENT AFFAIRS