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UN kicks off talks on high seas treaty
UNITED NATIONS, United States, Sept 4, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – UN member states
on Tuesday kicked off two years of negotiations toward a treaty that would
finally regulate the high seas, which contain vast troves of valuable plant
and animal DNA.
In the morning, two small boats in the East River operated by Greenpeace
hoisted banners that read: “Global Oceans – Global Treaty!” and “Our oceans
deserve a global treaty.”
“It is urgent they create a strong ocean treaty which allows us to create a
global network of ocean sanctuaries,” said Sandra Schoettner, a marine
biologist with Greenpeace.
The talks are set to unfold over the next two years in four separate
sessions, each lasting two weeks.
The key question is how to regulate areas of the high seas, defined as
waters beyond national jurisdiction, beginning about 12 nautical miles (22
kilometers) from the coast.
The high seas cover about 46 percent of the planet’s surface.
The treaty is likely to allow for marine protected areas, and will aim to
improve environmental research.
A key question is whether and how to share highly prized marine genetic
resources, namely plant and animal DNA that companies patent in the hunt for
everything from better cosmetics to improved crop yields.
The world market for marine biotechnology is expected to reach $6.4 billion
by 2025.
In 1982, the UN adopted the Convention on the Law of the Sea, but left the
high seas free from restrictions.
“All States enjoy the traditional freedoms of navigation, overflight,
scientific research and fishing on the high seas,” it said.
The convention took effect in 1994, without the participation of the United
States.
Since then, shipping routes have expanded considerably, and fishing and
mining the resources of the ocean deep have aroused increasing global
interest.
BSS/AFP/MRI/1007 HRS