U.N. oceans conference eyes steps toward high seas agreement

The United Nations is holding a conference it hopes will bring fresh momentum to efforts for an international agreement on protecting the world’s oceans

The United Nations is hoping an international conference that got underway on June 27 will bring fresh momentum to protracted efforts for a global agreement on protecting the world’s oceans.

The five-day U.N. Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal has drawn senior officials and scientists from more than 120 countries to the Atlantic port city in Southwest Europe, as well as activists dismayed by the failure to come up with international rules that might ensure ocean sustainability.

No comprehensive legal framework covers the high seas. Oceans cover some 70% of the earth’s surface and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people. Some activists refer to them as the largest unregulated area on the planet.

In his opening remarks at the conference, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries to show “unity and togetherness around the issues of the sea”.

“Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted, and today we face what I would call an ocean emergency,” Mr. Guterres said. “We must turn the tide.”

Threats to the oceans include global warming, pollution, acidification and other problems, the U.N. says. Potentially harmful deep-sea mining also lacks rules.

The conference is set to adopt a declaration that, though not binding on its signatories, could help implement and facilitate the protection and conservation of oceans and their resources, according to the U.N.. The declaration is due to be endorsed on July 1.