Overview

• Morocco and Sierra Leone filed the latest instruments of ratification, bringing the total to 60 and triggering a 120‑day countdown to entry into force.
• The treaty establishes fair and equitable benefit‑sharing from marine genetic resources, including open data access, sample sharing and technology transfer.
• A new Conference of the Parties can designate science‑based high‑seas marine protected areas, with a three‑quarters majority available if consensus fails.
• States must assess and publish the environmental impacts of activities under their jurisdiction when effects are more than minor and transitory, with national authorities deciding on authorizations.
• Implementation will require coordination with regional fisheries bodies and the International Seabed Authority, while deep‑sea mining pressures and the absence of ratification by major powers such as the United States and Russia pose challenges.