New York City – Six months after its agreement, dozens of governments are set to sign the UN Ocean Treaty in New York City this week during the General Assembly. To enter into force, 60 countries must ratify the Treaty. Over 60 signatures at the UN today would send a strong sign of continuing ambition and multilateral cooperation. Greenpeace urges governments to ratify the treaty by the UN Ocean Conference in Nice in 2025.

“We welcome so many governments signing the UN Ocean Treaty. This sends a powerful signal to the world that governments will maintain momentum towards protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030, after the historic Treaty agreement back in March. But this signing is a purely symbolic moment, now politicians must bring the Treaty home and ensure it is ratified in record time.

“We have less than seven years to protect 30% of the oceans, there is no time to waste. The race to ratification has begun and we urge countries to be ambitious, ratify the Treaty and make sure it enters into force in 2025 “, said Mads Christensen, Executive Director, Greenpeace International.

Ocean sanctuaries, free from all destructive activities, are a critical solution to the ocean crisis. Less than 1% of the high seas are properly protected, so governments must act fast to use the Treaty to begin delivering protection at sea.

Norway is expected to be one of the first countries to sign the Global Ocean Treaty. But at the same time, the Norwegian government has proposed to open up a huge area in the sensitive Arctic to deep sea mining. Cyclists held a protest on bicycles, by following the Norwegian Prime Minister’s route through New York City to the UN General Assembly, displaying billboards reading “Norway Stop Deep Sea Mining”.[1]

”If governments like Norway are serious about ocean protection, they need to forget about deep sea mining, that risks destroying vulnerable ecosystems in the Arctic as well as Norway’s reputation internationally. The oceans are already under immense pressure and need more protection, not more exploitation”, said Christensen.

A new petition has also been launched by Greenpeace to call on governments to rapidly ratify the UN Ocean Treaty to create new ocean sanctuaries.

Alongside the report, Greenpeace partnered with Jane Fonda, Camila Cabello and Simon Pegg to produce an animated short film which follows the journey of three sea creatures as they escape the threats detailed in the report to find an ocean sanctuary.

ENDS

Notes:

[1] Images from the Cyclist Protest are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Images from previous mobilisations for the ocean treaty are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Short animated film video and stills for download are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Greenpeace published 30×30: From Global Ocean Treaty to Protection at Sea last week setting out the political process to deliver protection. The report explores how cumulative pressures on the high seas are increasing, and quantifies for the first time the growing fishing activity in areas marked for protection, using data from Global Fishing Watch.

Contacts:

Magali Rubino, Global Media Lead, Greenpeace Protect the Oceans campaign: [email protected], +33 7 78 41 78 78

Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)