The High Seas Challenge: Negotiations and Ambitions at the Global Ocean Summit
United Nations member states are racing to finalize a deal that would safeguard the oceans, with talks wrapping up this Friday in New York. Attendees say predicting the outcome remains difficult as disagreements on several core issues persist throughout the summit, which has convened in New York since February 20.
“Progress has been made over the past week, but there are still many issues to be resolved”, said Nathalie Rey of the High Seas Alliance, a coalition that includes about 40 environmental NGOs, in an AFP briefing. “We need to step up in the second week of meetings to ensure a viable agreement. I remain optimistic and believe it is possible.”
Other spokespersons sound more cautious about sealing a deal before Friday’s close.
“Negotiations are progressing at a snail’s pace, running in circles”, commented Laura Meller of Greenpeace in a statement. Conference chair Rena Lee urged negotiators on Monday to stay flexible and creative, acknowledging that several critical issues remain unresolved.
In a photo caption, Greenpeace activists stand in front of the summit’s venue, underscoring the tension and urgency surrounding the talks.
“We have to look ahead, seek the best outcomes, and be flexible”, a negotiator warned. “If not, reaching an agreement could slip away and this twenty-year effort would fail, with us as the only ones to blame.”
Another participant argued that flexibility should not come at the expense of ambition.
The Challenge of Protecting the High Seas
The high seas begin where a country’s Exclusive Economic Zone ends—at 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the coast—placing them beyond any single nation’s jurisdiction. Altogether, the high seas account for more than 60 percent of the world’s oceans and roughly half of the planet’s surface, yet they have long attracted less attention than coastal waters and some landmark biodiversity. A modern framework to govern these waters is seen as essential for global conservation goals.
An updated draft published last weekend remains full of parentheses and open options, with several decisions still to be made that will shape the final agreement. One central point is how to establish new marine protected areas, a cornerstone of the future pact, which remains controversial.
When the last round concluded in August, the negotiations were described as largely positive, yet there is concern that some of that momentum has faded. Minna Epps of the International Union for Conservation of Nature noted the shift to AFP, expressing worry that progress may be slowing.
China’s Role and the Path Forward
Observers told AFP that China is pushing for the future governing body to be decided by consensus rather than majority vote on protected areas. There are signs that Beijing seeks to curb the power of new agreements to veto protections, a tactic it has used in other international bodies such as the Antarctic Marine Life Resources Conservation Commission. Greenpeace spokesperson Laura Meller urged China to reconsider its stance and to demonstrate leadership similar to its COP15 actions in Montreal lately, when governments pledged to safeguard 30 percent of land and ocean by 2030.
The goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030 is widely seen as unattainable without substantial protections for the high seas, which are currently only a small fraction of protected areas. Another contentious issue under debate is how to assess environmental impacts from offshore mining. Equally debated is how future profits from newly discovered marine materials, used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, would be distributed—an issue that can widen gaps between wealthy and poorer countries.
A negotiator told AFP that consensus on this point is near, and observers believe progress there could unlock other stalled topics. Yet any concessions must translate into a meaningful shift from the status quo to be effective in halting and reversing ocean biodiversity loss, said Andreas Hansen of The Nature Conservancy.
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Note: For further context and ongoing developments, official communications and analyses are attributed to respective organizations where cited in reports from major agencies.