A total of 60 countries need to ratify the Treaty by the 2025 UN Ocean Conference to make it happen.
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Palau became the first nation to officially ratify the High Seas Treaty, known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty (BBNJ), by depositing its ratification with the United Nations, Greenpeace informed through a press release. Afterward, the Chilean Senate voted to ratify the same treaty and the vote passed unanimously.
According to Laura Meller, Project Leader of Greenpeace’s Protect the Oceans campaign, "Palau has jumped into the lead in the race to ratification. They’ve already shown leadership in opposing deep sea mining in the Pacific Ocean, and have now set the bar for what it means to be an ocean champion."
"The oceans are crucial for the climate, global food security, and the livelihoods of billions of people. We expect governments worldwide to follow in Palau's footsteps and bring the UN Ocean Treaty to life so that the real work to protect the oceans can start," she warned.
Regarding Chilean Senate approval, Estefanía González, Deputy Campaign Director, Greenpeace Andino indicated: "This is an achievement for the thousands of Chileans who called for the protection of oceans. We congratulate the action of the congress and encourage Chile to take decisive measures to protect the oceans at a global and local level, where we have enormous challenges."
Adopted in June 2023, the UN Ocean Treaty is the most significant multilateral environmental deal since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
60 countries need to ratify the Treaty by the 2025 UN Ocean Conference. It should enter into force by this time to keep the globally agreed target of protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030 within reach.
In the same line, Meller stated: "We hope more countries will be inspired by Chile's rapid ratification and follow their lead to bring the Treaty to life, so the real work to protect the oceans can start."
Greenpeace explains this initiative will be a "crucial tool" to creating vast ocean sanctuaries covering at least 30% of the oceans.
On its part, Chile has presented a proposal to host the BBNJ secretariat in Valparaíso, reaffirming Chile's historical and future role as a country with a volcanic vocation.