The High Seas Treaty reaches more than 100 parties, cementing momentum ahead of its first conference

The High Seas Treaty has reached 100 parties after Germany, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Canada, Australia and Brunei Darussalam deposited their instruments of ratification at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). This triple figure milestone comes almost a year to the day after the treaty crossed the 60 ratification threshold needed for entry into force, and brings the agreement closer to the goal of universal ratification. 

The treaty officially entered into force on 17 January 2026, following almost two decades of discussion and negotiation. It delivers the world’s first comprehensive legal framework to protect ocean life on the high seas – nearly half the planet’s surface – and offers a vital tool to help combat the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

With the first Conference of the Parties (COP1) scheduled for January 2027, the treaty is now entering a new phase: its implementation. COP1's priority will be agreeing on the institutional set up and operating rules needed for long term success. This marks a clear shift to delivering on the reason the treaty was agreed in the first place – the urgent need for protection of ocean life on the high seas. Critical to this will be establishing highly and fully protected marine protected areas and setting rigorous standards for environmental impact assessments.

The treaty’s membership already spans every region of the world – from major maritime powers to small island big ocean states, from developed to developing states and notably several landlocked countries, underlining that high seas protection is a shared global responsibility, not just a coastal one.

However, legitimacy, equity and effective governance of the high seas will depend on continued growth in the number and diversity of parties. Only ratifying countries can vote and shape the treaty’s decisions, which means that those countries that have not yet ratified will not have a seat at the table to decide on the rules for nearly half the planet.

‘In many cultures, the number 100 carries real weight – whether it is a marker for age, an anniversary, or a symbol of luck and prosperity. For the High Seas Treaty, it marks the real momentum of the world uniting around ocean protection, even in divided times. But we cannot stop here,’ said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance. ‘We need more countries to ratify to achieve equitable global ocean protection by 2030. Parties need to show up ready to engage at COP1 so this wave of support turns into real decisions, not just symbolism. How countries engage in this first critical meeting will set the tone for every COP that follows, and too much is on the line to get this wrong.’