UN Member States try to overcome their differences this Friday (3) to reach an agreement that guarantees the preservation of the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure that covers half the planet.
After 15 years of informal and then formal discussions, the delegations that make up the UN reach the end of two weeks of the third round of negotiations in less than a year, in New York.
In a brief plenary session this Friday morning, Rena Lee, president of this conference, urged delegates “to be as flexible as possible […] in this final effort” that could last well into the night.
“Although the start has been slow, we are glad to see how the political momentum has increased in recent days”, said the representative of Palau on behalf of the Pacific States, who maintains the hope that the treaty reaches “a successful conclusion”.
But there are still several points of divergence under discussion, such as the measure of creating protected zones, which aims to analyze the impact of activities on the high seas on the environment and the distribution of potential benefits from the exploitation of marine genetic resources.
In this final stretch, observers expect a boost from the conference Our Ocean (“Our Ocean”), which takes place simultaneously in Panama, in the presence of several ministers who discuss the protection and sustainable exploitation of the oceans.
At this meeting on Panamanian soil, France announced that it will join the conservation “corridor” in the Tropical Pacific, created by the United States, Panama and Fiji, to “expand cooperation in the service of protecting the oceans and marine biodiversity”, according to the French Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville.
“Life on Earth depends on a healthy ocean. The new high seas treaty will be vital to our common goal of protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030,” said Monica Medina, head of the oceans at the US State Department, in New York.
In December, all the world’s governments committed to protecting 30% of all land and oceans by 2030. A challenge that does not include the high seas, of which only 1% is currently protected.
The high seas begin where the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of countries end, up to a maximum of 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coast, and therefore are not under the jurisdiction of any nation.
“Despite the different outstanding issues – and the list is long – my impression is that there will be an agreement at the end of this session,” Li Shuo, from Greenpeace, told AFP.
The European Union (EU) pledged US$42.4 million (about R$221 million) to facilitate the ratification of the treaty and its initial application. Likewise, it also announced in Panama more than 848 million dollars (around R$ 2.4 billion) to protect the oceans until 2023.
Despite representing more than 60% of the oceans and almost half of the planet, the high seas were ignored for a long time, as attention was focused on coastal areas and on iconic species such as whales and turtles.
– North-South Equity –
And that’s despite ocean ecosystems accounting for half of the oxygen we breathe, limiting warming by absorbing some of the CO2 generated by human actions, and feeding a part of humanity. But they are threatened by climate change, pollution of all kinds and overfishing.
For Li Shuo, there is political will and it all boils down to “the North against the South, the issue of justice and equity”.
One of the sensitive topics is underwater mining, which is also being discussed in Panama, where the Chilean vice-chancellor, Ximena Fuentes, told AFP that starting such an activity “with very general rules could be a recipe for an environmental disaster”, at least which your country defends “at least” a 15-year moratorium.
Developing countries are concerned about not being a full party to the treaty due to lack of financial resources and fear being left out of the commercialization of potential miracle molecules that could be discovered in international waters.
After the announcement perceived as a gesture to strengthen North-South trust, the European Union pledged, in New York, 40 million euros (220 million reais) to facilitate the ratification of the treaty and its initial application. In addition, it announced in Panama more than 800 million euros (4.1 billion reais) for the protection of the oceans until 2023.
The United States, for its part, pledged in Panama about 6 billion dollars (about 31 billion reais) to protect the seas and combat threats such as contamination and illegal fishing.
According to observers questioned by the AFP, resolving the financial aspects, which are politically very sensitive, could unlock everything else and finally allow the text to be submitted for approval by the conference.
“No one has jumped ship yet,” commented Nathalie Rey of the High Seas alliance, which comprises 40 NGOs. A third failure would send a “bad signal” in the face of the manifested political will.
In case of agreement, it remains to be seen whether the text will be solid enough to protect the oceans effectively.
“The adoption of a robust and ambitious agreement in this session could represent an important step towards reversing destructive trends and improving the health of the oceans for future generations,” insisted UN Secretary-General António Guterres this week.
By Amélie BOTTOLLIER-AFTER