HIGH SEAS ALLIANCE APPLAUDS MALDIVES AND SINGAPORE

High Seas Alliance applauds Maldives and Singapore on becoming the first Asian nations to ratify the High Seas Treaty. The High Seas Alliance congratulated the Maldives and Singapore today for becoming the first Asian nations to officially ratify the new High Seas Treaty1, thereby joining Palau, Chile, Belize, Seychelles, Monaco, Mauritius, the Federal States of Micronesia, and Cuba as leaders in the Race for Ratification.2
Both nations formally lodged their ratifications during a special Treaty Event, held at the UN Headquarters during the UN General Assembly this week, a year since the High Seas Treaty formally opened to UN Member State signatures and the Race for Ratification began. This now takes the total number of countries that have ratified the Treaty into double figures.
“We applaud the Maldives and Singapore today for bringing Asia into the Race for Ratification and taking the world a step closer to securing the 60 ratifications needed for the Treaty to enter into force. The leadership these countries have shown through their swift efforts to ratify the Treaty sends a clear message on the importance of working together to ensure better stewardship of our ocean for generations to come. We hope this news of further ratifications helps inspire other countries in Asia and beyond, to speed up their own ratification efforts,” said Rebecca Hubbard, Director of the High Seas Alliance.
It also applauded six countries – five of which are African States – for signing the Treaty: Gambia, Liberia, Kenya, Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Jamaica. In total, 98 countries have signalled their intent to ratify by signing the Treaty, and 10 have ratified3, with many other nations still busy in the process of ratification nationally.
A further 50 nations need to ratify the Treaty for it to enter into force and become the world’s first comprehensive international law to mandate the conservation and management of biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions (BBNJ) across the globe. Its entry into force will be a critical contribution toward achieving international goals to reverse the climate and biodiversity crisis, including the international target to protect at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030, agreed during the UN Biodiversity Summit in December 2022.
The High Seas – the shared international waters that cover half our planet – sustains some of the most important, yet critically endangered ecosystems on Earth. A lack of governance has left it increasingly vulnerable to overexploitation, and it is one of the least protected areas of our planet with just 1% currently highly protected.
“Once in force, the High Seas Treaty will finally enable us to better defend our ocean from harmful activities and usher in a new era of ocean protections through the establishment of networks of marine protected areas in international waters. Importantly, it also aims to redress inequalities between countries by ensuring access to greater funding, technology, tools, and the benefits of marine genetic resources. This is especially important for Asia where many developing countries need support to ramp up action to protect some of the most diverse, large marine ecosystems on Earth that are under pressure from anthropogenic threats and the impacts of climate change,” said Rizza Sacra-Dejucos, Asia regional coordinator for the High Seas Alliance.
The High Seas Alliance and its 60+ member organizations are working with governments to secure the 60 ratifications needed for the High Seas Treaty to enter into force by the UN Ocean Conference in France, June 2025.
1. The High Seas Alliance sometimes uses the term “High Seas Treaty” as a shorthand for the BBNJ Agreement. It acknowledges that the scope of the BBNJ Agreement encompasses Areas beyond national jurisdiction, including the seafloor and water column. This choice of wording is intended to ease understanding for broad audiences and does not convey a prioritization among the components or principles of the BBNJ Agreement.
2. Stay tuned to countries’ progress this week on the High Seas Alliance Ratification Tracker as we near 100 signatures of the High Seas Treaty, and read more about the Treaty in this factsheet and FAQs.
3. Signing does not establish consent for States to be bound to the Treaty, but it does express the willingness of the signatory State to continue the treaty-making process and for it to proceed to ratification. Signing also creates an obligation to refrain, in good faith, from acts that would defeat the object and the purpose of the Treaty. Following signature, countries can ratify the Agreement at any time.
Ratification is when nations formally consent to the new international law, and this often entails ensuring that their national laws are consistent with it. The speed and process to ratify varies by country. In some countries, the act of ratification is simply a Leader’s decree, while in others Parliamentary approval is needed.
Image: © Greenpeace