UN Treaty Protects 60% of World's Oceans Starting Jan 17

For the first time in history, the ocean beyond national borders is getting the protection it desperately needs.

On January 17th, 2026, a new United Nations treaty will officially take effect, creating the world's first global framework to conserve marine life in international waters. The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction accord covers roughly 60% of the ocean and more than 40% of Earth's entire surface.

Until now, the open ocean operated under fragmented rules and outdated assumptions that it was too vast to manage. Less than 1.5% of international waters had any formal protection, even as fishing, shipping, and exploratory mining rapidly expanded. That changes this month.

Morocco became the 60th country to ratify the treaty last September, triggering its entry into force. More than 80 nations are now full parties to the agreement, which took two decades to negotiate and was finalized in 2023.

The treaty establishes four major protections. Countries can now propose and create marine protected areas in international waters through a collective review process, making the global pledge to conserve 30% of oceans by 2030 actually achievable. Any country planning activities like new fishing methods or seabed mining must assess and publicly disclose environmental impacts through a shared system.

The agreement also addresses a contentious issue: who benefits when pharmaceutical or biotech companies profit from deep-sea microbes, corals, and sponges found in international waters? Since the high seas legally belong to everyone, developing countries successfully argued for sharing those benefits. The treaty creates a framework for this, though details will be worked out at future conferences.

Perhaps most importantly, the accord includes support for poorer nations that lack resources to monitor distant waters or participate in ocean governance. Without addressing this imbalance, conservation efforts would remain limited to wealthier countries.

The Ripple Effect

This treaty doesn't replace existing organizations managing fisheries or seabed activities, but it fundamentally changes what's possible. Deep ocean trenches, seamount chains, and midwater ecosystems that regulate nutrient cycles and store massive amounts of carbon now have enforceable protection mechanisms.

The real work begins now. A preparatory commission is finalizing rules for the first conference of parties later in 2026, including funding mechanisms and procedures for proposing protected areas. Whether governments accept real constraints on ocean activities will determine if this becomes a true turning point.

For the first time, biodiversity in the global commons isn't an afterthought but a legal priority backed by more than 80 nations and counting.