More than 40 countries, including Portugal, have signed the High Seas Treaty at the UN.

More than 40 countries, including Portugal, signed the High Seas Treaty this Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Portugal, through its Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho, was one of the first countries to sign the Treaty on Wednesday.

This fact is highlighted in a statement by the Oceano Azul Foundation, which congratulates the Portuguese government and the international community on the signing.

The High Seas Treaty, the result of almost 20 years of discussions, aims to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity. It is a legally binding instrument that protects international waters beyond national jurisdiction, covering more than 70% of the Earth’s surface.

The UN announced that the Treaty signing process will be officially opened to Member States this Wednesday at United Nations Headquarters, and that 65 countries have already expressed interest in signing the document this week.

In a conversation with Lusa from New York, scientist and head of the Oceano Azul Foundation Emanuel Goncalves said that by the end of the week the document is expected to be signed by 40 more countries.

Emanuel Gonsalves explained that the signing of the Treaty in New York is actually an obligation for countries to ratify the document, and this process now depends on the political system of each state.

This internal process does not occur simultaneously in every state, and the Treaty only enters into force when at least 60 countries have ratified it.

When asked whether the ratification process, as has happened with other treaties, could take many years, Emanuel Gonçalves replied that, in his opinion, no, because in the case of the High Seas Treaty there is a large mobilization to bring this issue into the political agenda so that it can be signed quickly and that the document is ready to enter into force in 2025, at the next ocean summit.

Emanuel Gonsalves noted that the oceans are currently suffering from “very serious problems” as science shows, and that “there is no more time to talk”, so there is a large “fundamental vacancy” and many countries are committing to move forward. quickly with ratification.

If the document comes into force in 2025, it will be almost unprecedented (due to its speed), the person responsible emphasized, admitting that there are always difficulties with implementation, but there is also “a sense of urgency and the need for change.” .

“The signing of this treaty is historic because it is the most important decision taken by the international community regarding the ocean in the 21st century. The ocean is in deep crisis, and this agreement allows for action to protect and improve the health of the ocean in the 21st century. The open sea, which will be fundamental to the future of our planet,” says Thiago Pitta e Cunha, executive administrator of the Oceano Azul Foundation, in a statement.

In statements to Lusa, Emanuel Gonsalves said he believes the Treaty will actually strengthen the conservation and management of marine life on the high seas, an area where everything is done with impunity, as it forges a new approach based on a legal framework and monitoring tools.

And the Treaty is also a “victory for multilateralism” in a world “in disarray,” “a beacon of hope that something can still be done,” he stressed.

The treaty was approved by the UN in March last year, and the final text was officially adopted on June 19.

This allows, for example, to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030. Until now, there has been no generally accepted way to create protected spaces in international waters, nor any regulatory body tasked with preventing the destruction of the wildlife that lives in these seas.