We, the undersigned Members of Parliament from around the world, stand united in our commitment to protect the areas of our oceans beyond national jurisdiction, also known as the high seas, for current and future generations.
The high seas belong to all people as a common heritage of humankind, and cover 43 percent of our Earth’s surface with life-sustaining rich biodiversity. Marine biodiversity in the high seas has uniquely developed to provide resources and services necessary for human survival – also supporting economies, livelihoods, cultural heritage, and the mitigation of the climate crisis.
Human activity and existing stressors amplified by the climate crisis (from shipping to pollution to overfishing) have seriously degraded the unique ecosystem balance in the high seas. Compounding lack of oversight and comprehensive governance of this area fosters food insecurity and human migration; and leaves it vulnerable to criminal activity including drug and weapons smuggling.
The High Seas Treaty (formally the Implementing Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction) is the first cohesive, international and legally binding framework to specifically protect high seas biodiversity to ensure its conservation and sustainable use – providing us with a critical opportunity to safeguard this area. This historic Agreement opened for signature in September 2023 with overwhelming global support, and it is imperative to ensure this momentum continues with the Treaty’s timely entry into force.
We, elected representatives of the people, stand united through this Declaration in our commitment to protecting the ocean and the human rights of all people who rely on it.
Therefore, we call on fellow Members of Parliament to:
- Sign this declaration as a powerful demonstration of global commitment to protect the high seas through the effective implementation of the High Seas Treaty.
- Call for the Treaty’s timely entry into force with 60 ratifications by the June 2025 UN Ocean Conference co-hosted by France and Costa Rica.
- Engage with our colleagues from all political affiliations and our governments to achieve multi-partisan consensus, reinforcing both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and in line with the protection of associated human rights for all people of present and future generations.
- Ensure the Treaty establishes a robust framework for the creation of marine protected areas on the high seas and guides decision-makers on how to assess the environmental impacts of human activities in these areas.
