Overview

• Morocco and Sierra Leone became the 59th and 60th ratifiers, triggering the UN’s 120‑day countdown to entry into force on 17 January 2026.
• The treaty enables marine protected areas beyond national exclusive economic zones and requires environmental impact assessments for certain high‑seas activities such as seabed mining.
• The accord covers more than two‑thirds of the ocean, where previously only about 1% of high‑seas areas had any protection.
• Implementation will take years as institutions are created and national laws adopted, with an NRDC expert estimating more than three years before the first protected areas are designated.
• Germany and the United States have signed but not ratified, and Russia has not signed, even as environmental groups hail the milestone and urge broader adoption.