Overview
- The UN Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement enters into force on January 17, putting binding rules over roughly two‑thirds of the ocean.
- Eighty‑one countries have ratified to date, with China bound from day one while the United States has signed but not ratified.
- The pact mandates environmental impact assessments for activities that risk “substantial pollution or significant and harmful changes” and enables science‑guided marine protected areas, with early proposals targeting the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges, the Sargasso Sea, and parts of the South Tasman Sea.
- Provisions require sharing benefits from marine genetic resources and create three financing streams, including a special fund, a voluntary trust for developing states, and use of the Global Environment Facility.
- Ratification gaps are set to shape diplomatic influence over ocean governance, giving decision power to parties inside the regime while non‑ratifying states forgo a vote on new high‑seas rules.