LEADING PHILANTHROPIES PLEDGE $5M TO SUPPORT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN ADOPTING AN AMBITIOUS HIGH SEAS TREATY

Leading philanthropies pledge $5m to support developing countries in adopting an ambitious High Seas Treaty. As nations negotiate high seas treaty at the United Nations, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Blue Nature Alliance, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Minderoo Foundation, OceanKind, Oceans 5, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Vere Initiatives, and others announce rapid response funding to help developing countries contribute to global 30×30 ocean goals
Yesterday at the 2023 Our Ocean Conference, private donors committed a collective $5 million to rapidly support developing nations in joining an ambitious new global treaty to protect the high seas. The pledge by Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Blue Nature Alliance, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Minderoo Foundation, OceanKind, Oceans 5, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Vere Initiatives, and others will strengthen the capacity for nations to collaboratively protect the biodiversity in the world’s high seas – valuable ocean areas beyond national jurisdictions whose protection is critical to protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.
The high seas, which account for roughly two-thirds of the Earth’s ocean area and half of the Earth’s surface, are home to more than 26,000 known marine species, and potentially millions more yet to be identified, and play a critical role regulating our climate and supporting globally important fisheries. Despite this, only 1% of the high seas are protected. This announcement comes as negotiations to finalise the high seas treaty – the first global treaty process related to the ocean in over two decades – occur at United Nations Headquarters and are scheduled to conclude by March 3.
The announcement was made at a high-level event organised by the governments of Panama and Belgium, members of the Blue Leaders, a group of ambitious countries calling for the high seas treaty to be finalized so that marine protected areas can be established beyond countries’ maritime borders.
Part of this new philanthropic funding is intended to help support developing nations with critical policy and technical resources to ratify the new treaty and give assurance at a pivotal moment in negotiations to help propel them to a successful conclusion. Beyond today’s commitment, this group of private donors are also engaging with government champions of the high seas treaty to secure additional technical capacity and financial commitments to ensure significant support for developing nations to undertake the policy, technical, and scientific activities needed to implement the agreement and save our high seas.
“Chile is committed to finalising an ambitious new treaty for the high seas to conserve and protect marine life beyond our maritime borders. We celebrate bold funding commitments announced today which will help the global community get the treaty up and running,” said Antonia Urrejola Noguera, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“While great strides have been made in establishing marine protected areas in countries’ national waters, for too long, ocean life found beyond national jurisdiction, on the high seas, has lacked sufficient protection,” said Milciades Concepción, Minister of Environment of Panama. “For this reason, Panama joins other countries to call for the completion of the new high seas treaty so we can start protecting the blue half of the planet. This political call was reinforced by substantial financial commitments announced by public and private entities at the Our Ocean Panama meeting today to support ratification and implementation of the treaty.”
“This is an enormously important announcement and a significant step towards mobilising the funding needed to ensure biodiversity is protected in the High Seas. We hope this stimulates further funding from the philanthropic, public and private sector. The UK will continue to invest in the protection of critical marine ecosystems and seek innovative financial solutions to attract further funding from all sources,” said Lord Zac Goldsmith, UK Minister of State for the Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
“Life on earth depends on a healthy ocean. The new high seas treaty will be critical for meeting our shared goal of conserving 30% of the global ocean by 2030. We welcome today’s commitment to support developing countries in joining the treaty and achieving a more sustainable future for all,” said Monica Medina, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
“Developing nations have a critical role to play in protecting our ocean and the livelihoods that depend on it,” said Antha Williams, who leads environment programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “Bloomberg Philanthropies is a proud partner in providing developing countries with the necessary resources to support the high seas treaty, and their participation will be a critical step to reaching the global ocean protection goal by 2030. The treaty will solidify a historic collaborative effort to protect biodiverse ecosystems, flourishing fisheries, and clean waters.”
“For the world to effectively protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, countries must adopt, ratify, and implement a high seas treaty,” said Ashleigh McGovern, Vice President at Conservation International and Director of Partnerships at the Blue Nature Alliance. “The Blue Nature Alliance and our partners are committed to working with communities and governments to carry out these ambitious commitments in a sustainable and equitable way.”
“With two thirds of our ocean beyond national jurisdiction, a high seas treaty is an absolute must if we are to protect 30% of marine areas globally,” said Dr. Tony Worby, Director of the Minderoo Foundation Flourishing Oceans initiative. “Minderoo Foundation strongly endorses this ambitious treaty and is committed to protecting our common seas.”
The UN high seas negotiations and the Our Ocean Conference in Panama take place against the backdrop of the December 2022 global accord to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030 (30×30), that was reached as part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Achieving 30×30 ocean protection — a focus of the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative and marine funders that have joined the Protecting Our Planet Challenge — cannot be accomplished without expanded new protections for significant areas of the high seas important for biodiversity, climate, and the people who depend on them.