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U.N. secretary-general urges countries to ratify high-seas biodiversity pact, calls for legally binding plastics treaty
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Summary
U.N. Secretary‑General António Guterres urged countries attending the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice to ratify the agreement on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction and to secure an "ambitious and legally binding treaty on plastic pollution" this year.
U.N. Secretary‑General António Guterres urged countries attending the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice to ratify the agreement on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction and to secure an “ambitious and legally binding treaty on plastic pollution” this year.
Guterres delivered the remarks at the conference opening and at an Africa for the Ocean side event co‑hosted by Morocco and France. He emphasized that the oceans, which have "sustained life for millennia," are being harmed by overfishing, plastic pollution and rising temperatures and said the deep sea "cannot become the wild west." He also said sustainable development goal 14 is "one of the least funded SDGs" and urged bolder action and investment.
Why it matters: marine biodiversity and plastics are transnational problems that require global agreements and funding. Guterres highlighted progress such as the Kunming‑Montreal global biodiversity framework and the agreement on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, but warned that breakthroughs have not yet reversed worsening ocean conditions.
Details from Guterres’ remarks included a call for countries that have not yet ratified the high‑seas biodiversity agreement to do so and a reiteration of support for the International Seabed Authority’s work. He described Africa as a "maritime powerhouse," noting the continent’s more than 30,000 kilometers of coastline and 38 coastal states and saying its "blue wealth" has too often been undervalued and overexploited. He urged conference participants and civil society to be bold in turning ocean promise into lasting protections.
Conference readouts also noted that Guterres held bilateral meetings and met with civil society representatives to press for accelerated action on ocean, climate and biodiversity issues. The secretary‑general warned that, despite growth in renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions are still rising and that the ocean‑climate connection is deteriorating, citing accelerating sea‑level rise, glacier melt, coral bleaching and increasing plastic pollution.
The remarks did not include legally binding schedules or new funding commitments announced by the secretary‑general. Conference participants and member states will discuss next steps during the sessions in Nice.
