The Maldives signed the High Seas Treaty as its 92nd signatory, the Foreign Ministry has revealed.
Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed, signed the agreement at a ceremony held in the UN Headquarters in New York.
"The agreement is a representation of the promise of multilateral cooperation and a collaborative approach to protect our ocean. The Maldives stands ready to do our part!," Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer said in a post on X.
In 2015 the UN General Assembly decided to develop a legally binding instrument relating to the protection and sustainable use of marine biological diversity and areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Following this, the substance of the instrument was compiled in the years between 2016 and 2023, and the legal instrument was adopted on 19 June 2023 at the General Assembly in the form of an Agreement.
"Where the protection of the biodiversity within the territorial sea of the Maldives is a significant responsibility of the Maldives, this responsibility includes ensuring the area beyond its national jurisdiction and the biological diversity contained within are protected and sustainably used," the Foreign Ministry stated.
The ministry said the agreement sets up a procedure to establish large-scale marine protected areas and contains marine technological transfer mechanisms and formalities relating to fighting climate change.
Until the signing of the agreement by the Maldives, 91 countries had signed the Agreement while eight countries have ratified it. The agreement is open for signature by all countries until 20 September 2025 and will enter into force 120 days after the 60th country has ratified it.
