United Nations, March 7 (RHC)-- At the United Nations, negotiators from more than 190 countries have agreed to the first-ever international treaty to protect the high seas.  

The historic agreement caps nearly two decades of efforts by conservation groups.  It seeks to establish marine protected areas covering 30% of the world’s seas by 2030 to protect ocean biodiversity. 

Environmentalists hailed the treaty’s passage as a major milestone and called on nations to swiftly adopt and ratify it.  The International Union for the Conservation of Nature said in a statement the treaty “closes essential gaps in international law and offers a framework for governments to work together to protect global ocean health, climate resilience, and the socioeconomic wellbeing and food security of billions of people.”