It's official! United Nations decide to develop a High Seas Biodiversity agreement.

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Starting next year in March, countries will begin wrestling out the content of this new High Seas Treaty.  A lot of heavy debate and controversy is expected. There are countries that realize that bold measures are needed to save the oceans and others who will do what they can to stall and weaken the outcome  The EU, which is currently consulting stakeholders on how it could best contribute to improving international ocean governance, should galvanise its own members and other countries in support of a robust legal regime for the protection of high seas biodiversity that – with foresight – applies the principle of precaution and the polluters pay principle, and that focuses preventative action at the source, including by implementing environmental impact assessments prior to authorising potentially harmful activities beyond areas of national jurisdiction.  

Greenpeace and millions of people across the world will be calling for the High Seas Biodiversity Agreement to establish the much needed global network of ocean sanctuaries on the high seas – the 64 percent of the ocean that belong to you, me and everyone.

The EU should ensure that the new agreement provides the legal foundations for the designation and protection of these areas, prohibiting activities that have a direct adverse impact in or near the sanctuaries. In addition, the agreement should specifically set rules to ensure the protection and sustainable use of valuable genetic resources that are found deep in the ocean in the international waters far away from our shores, and make sure that the sharing of benefits derived from them is distributed fairly between developed and developing nations, rather than just for those countries that have the money and resources to exploit them.

All in all, this is a massive opportunity to change the current system that governs the ocean; from a system that focuses on exploitation (with rules to fish, navigate, mine and drill having been agreed decades ago) to one that ensures conservation and sustainable use of fragile ocean life for generations to come.

While some of us spend endless days at political meetings pushing governments to do the right thing, many more are working locally all over the world to bear witness and stop ocean destruction where and when it happens: from taking strong action to protect the North Sea in the Netherlands (in Dutch) to exposing rogue fishing in West Africa by Chinese companies and campaigning to stop unsustainable tuna being sold on the market, Greenpeace will continue to fight for a living ocean.

A massive thank you to all #OceanLovers out there – together we can bring about the change needed to save the oceans!

Sofia Tsenikli is a Senior Political Advisor on Oceans for Greenpeace International.