An international treaty promoting the establishment of marine-protected areas in international waters moved closer to fruition this week as 18 countries submitted “instruments of ratification” at the United Nations Ocean Conference in France.
That means 49 countries, including the EU, have committed to sign onto the treaty. Eleven more ratifications are necessary to meet the minimum 60 national commitments.
The United States signed the treaty — formally known as the “Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction” — in 2023. Finalization requires a Senate hearing, then a two-thirds majority vote to ratify.
The Trump administration is not participating in the ocean conference, which is being held in the city of Nice, and President Donald Trump has made clear he will remove the U.S. from international agreements that do not align with his policy objectives. The State Department referred questions to the White House, which did not respond to a request for comment.
