BBNJ Agreement 2023

The BBNJ Agreement, the 2023 treaty on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (the High Seas Treaty), is the third implementing agreement under UNCLOS. Adopted on 19 June 2023, it covers marine genetic resources and benefit-sharing, area-based management tools including high-seas marine protected areas, environmental impact assessment, and capacity-building. It reached the sixtieth ratification in September 2025 and entered into force on 17 January 2026, filling a gap UNCLOS left in protecting biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.