On a soft January morning in Santiago, the Chilean Senate rose together in an unusual act of unanimity. With a single voice, they ratified the UN’s “High Seas” Treaty — formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement — a sweeping global accord born of decades of negotiation. In that moment, Chile became one of the first countries to bind itself to a bold new era for the oceans.
This was more than a legal milestone. It was a signal — that a nation long defined by its sprawling Pacific coast, its fishing communities, and sea-faring traditions, was stepping forward to become a guardian, not just a user, of the vast waters beyond its shores.
The journey toward the High Seas Treaty has been slow, winding, and fraught with technical and political challenges. Negotiations first began more than two decades ago, in the early 2000s.
Nations grappled with questions of sovereignty, scientific oversight, benefit sharing for marine genetic resources, and governance over an area of Earth that belongs to no single state.
After decades of negotiations marked by delays and difficult compromises, global leaders reached a consensus on the BBNJ agreement in 2023, officially making the treaty available for nations to sign later that year.
But signatures are only the first step; it is only through ratification — when individual nations incorporate it into their domestic legal systems — that the agreement becomes binding.
By January 2024, Chile’s Senate moved. The ratification passed unanimously. And within weeks, Palau also ratified at the United Nations, making them the first two countries to formally commit.
Yet for all the celebration, there remained a long road ahead: the treaty requires at least 60 ratifications to come into force — and that must happen before the UN Ocean Conference in 2025 if the goal of protecting 30% of the world’s oceans (the “30×30” target) is to remain within reach.
What Chile’s Ratification Means
For scientists, conservationists, and coastal communities across Latin America, Chile’s move offers both hope and urgent pressure.
Chile has long punched above its weight in marine protection within its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It now protects over 40% of its national waters, exceeding the 2030 target for many nations. But the high seas — the vast waters beyond any country’s jurisdiction — are a different realm, one historically lacking meaningful rules.
By ratifying the treaty, Chile signals that it sees itself not just as a coastal power but as a steward of the global commons. It has also put forth a bid to host the treaty’s Secretariat in Valparaíso, seeking to anchor the new legal infrastructure in Chile.
Perhaps most tangibly, Chile is advancing proposals for the first marine protected areas (MPAs) in the high seas — especially in the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges, underwater mountain chains off the Pacific that harbor rich biodiversity far from land.
These areas are not just remote curiosities. They serve as migratory corridors for whales, sharks, turtles, and act as vital carbon sinks — hidden allies in the fight against climate change.
Challenges Ahead — Turning Promise Into Practice
Ratification is vital. But the true test lies in implementation. The treaty mandates new governance structures, how MPAs are proposed, monitored, enforced, and how states conduct environmental impact assessments.
One major hurdle is financing. Estimates suggest the world faces an approximate annual shortfall of USD 14.6 billion to adequately protect and manage marine ecosystems. Many countries — especially those with weaker economies — may struggle to mobilize funding, staff, scientific equipment, or technology necessary to participate fully.
Another challenge is political will and consistency. Getting 60 countries to ratify is a feat; persuading them to sustain enforcement, resist backsliding, and cooperate across jurisdictions is harder still.
Already, momentum is shifting in its favor. In September 2025, the treaty finally crossed the 60-ratification threshold — including Morocco’s ratification as the 60th — initiating the countdown toward entering into force. It is expected to become legally effective in January 2026.
In response, countries like the UK have pledged to ratify by the end of 2025, and international attention is sharply focused on how nations will turn legal texts into tangible conservation.
A Human Tide For The Oceans
Chile’s action is more than a geopolitical move — it reflects the voices of thousands who live with the sea. Fisherfolk, coastal communities, Chilean youth activists, and scientists mapping deep-sea reefs — their efforts have long underscored that ocean health is life health. According to Greenpeace Andino, Chile’s leadership marks a significant milestone, reflecting the collective efforts of countless Chileans who have long advocated for stronger protection of the world’s oceans.
For communities in remote coastal villages — whose children’s futures are tethered to fish stocks, tourism, and climate resilience — the treaty offers a glimmer of structural change. In nations far beyond Latin America, communities already feeling climate-driven sea changes, declining fisheries, and invasion of plastics may one day see relief through strengthened regulation in the high seas.
For scientists navigating the cold depths, Chile’s ratification could mean more collaborative funding, access to high seas expeditions, shared data, and a hope that their discoveries may be protected rather than exploited.
The Horizon We Must Aim For
Decades of scientific warnings have shown us that the ocean is humanity’s connective tissue — circulating heat, absorbing carbon, supporting biodiversity, and nourishing coastal societies. Yet nearly two-thirds of it lies beyond any national rule. Until now, only about 1 % of the high seas had meaningful legal protection.
The High Seas Treaty offers our first truly global tool to change that. But it is a beginning, not a finish line.
Chile’s ratification — and its willingness to host the treaty’s Secretariat — lends moral weight and institutional backbone. Still, the next few years will determine if this promise is realized. Will states commit to funding, scientific rigor, transparent enforcement, fair benefit sharing, and adaptive governance? Or will the treaty be another international pledge that falters in execution?
Yet right now, we have reasons for hope. The threshold has been crossed. The legal scaffolding is taking shape. Countries are lining up. Civil society is watching closely, ready to hold governments accountable.
If enough nations choose to walk the talk — building MPAs in the high seas, assessing impacts of deep-sea mining, sharing marine genetic resources — then a new choreography of care could guide humanity’s relationship with its blue planet.
Imagine a child born in Chile’s coastal regions decades from now, walking to a shoreline under starlit skies, hearing the waves, seeing whales breach offshore, knowing those waters — even beyond her nation’s borders — are protected by rules we crafted together. That possibility, fragile and ambitious, is worth protecting.
