Victory! Today 17 January 2026, after decades of second thoughts, postponements and long-awaited signatures, the UN Ocean Treaty (also known as Treaty on the High Seas) one of the greatest successes of international law and environmental protection. But it arrives without Italy, which has never ratified it.
What is the UN Ocean Treaty and why is it so important
The Global Ocean Treaty is the United Nations international agreement aimed at protecting the high seas, i.e. the ocean areas that do not belong to any State (equal to approximately 60% of the oceans), essential to protect at least 30% of the oceans by 2030 through the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (AMP).
This is a moment defined as “a historic success for the oceans and multilateralism” by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterreswhich today announces its entry into force, with words that leave little room for doubt about its importance.
The Marine Biodiversity Treaty is now in force & establishes the first legal framework for conserving & sustainably using marine biodiversity in the two-thirds of the ocean that lie beyond national borders.
This is a historic achievement for people & planet. pic.twitter.com/QBAOPoc4pl
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) January 17, 2026
The Marine Biodiversity Treaty is now in force and establishes the first legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the two-thirds of the oceans that extend beyond national borders. This is a historic achievement for people and the planet
Guterres is about the Marine Biodiversity Treaty, actually formally known as Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), because it is precisely this that from today has a strong additional defense, filling a huge regulatory gap.
Until now, in fact, the high seas, equal to approximately 64% of the ocean surface, have been a sort of “no man’s land”, exposed to unregulated exploitation, by excessive fishing (overfishing) to the risks of new industries, such as deep-sea mining.
At its heart is the creation of a mechanism to establish large-scale marine protected areas. This tool, the third implementation arm of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 will be fundamental to achieving the goal set by the Kunming-Montréal agreement to protect at least 30% of the oceans by 2030.
Concretely, for the first time, the obligation to carry out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for economic and human activities planned on the high seas is introduced, increasing transparency and providing a framework to mitigate negative effects.
Furthermore, a fair distribution of the benefits, monetary and otherwise, deriving from marine genetic resources (MGR) is promoted, putting the principle of equity at the centre. MGRs are in fact marine organisms with enormous potential for scientific research and for the development of new drugs and cosmetics, and the agreement favors the development of research capabilities and the transfer of marine technology to developing countries.
Italy is (again) on the wrong side of history
The European Union and its Member States celebrate this important milestone in ocean conservation and sustainable use – writes the European Commission in a statement – This historic agreement provides a framework for the common governance of approximately half of our planet’s surface and 95% of the volume of the oceans, which represent the largest habitat on our planet
The EU and its Member States, including Italy, led the political process and negotiations of this agreement, which was officially adopted in 2023.
On 19 September 2025, two years after its adoption, the agreement reached the threshold of 60 ratifications necessary for entry into force 120 days later, i.e. today 17 January 2026.
But our country, even though it signed it on September 22, 2023, is not among the 60 countries that have ratified it.
We are still far from the objective of protecting at least 30% of Italian seas by 2030 – thunders Valentina Di Miccoli, head of the Greenpeace Italia Sea campaign – Marine Protected Areas in Italy are few, small and cover a negligible surface area of sea. Supporting their protection and expansion projects is essential to limit pollution and exploitation of the Mediterranean. It is time to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty in Italy as soon as possible
Will our country be able, for once, to sit on the right side?
Sources: European Commission / Antonio Guterres/X
