High Seas Alliance: BBNJ agreement a ‘historic milestone’ for global ocean protection

News that the global treaty to protect marine biodiversity – formally known as 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 (BBNJ agreement) – is set to come into effect on 17 January 2026, following its 60th ratification, has been welcomed by environmental NGO coalition High Seas Alliance (HSA).