LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has officially announced it will ratify the High Seas Treaty at the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice next month, joining a global push to safeguard marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions.
The commitment was confirmed on Thursday by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ian Borg during a high-level seminar in Valletta themed “Towards the Third UN Ocean Conference: Policy, Science & Blue Economy – A Common Ambition for Malta and France”. The event was co-organised by Malta’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the French Embassy, and the Maltese French Chamber of Commerce (MFCC).
“It is time to change course”, Borg declared. “The ocean is a common good for humanity and essential to Europe’s sustainable, secure, and competitive future… We must be the generation that chose to act”.
The High Seas Treaty aims to close a critical gap in international ocean governance. It provides a legal framework to establish marine protected areas in international waters, regulate environmental impact assessments, and ensure fair access to and sharing of marine genetic resources.
The treaty will enter into force once 60 nations ratify it. To date, only seven have done so, while 89 countries, including Malta, have signed on.
Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Christopher Cutajar confirmed Malta is in the final stages of the ratification process. “This reaffirms our commitment to being an active player in ocean governance,” he said, referencing Malta’s historic 1967 UN initiative that enshrined the oceans beyond national borders as the “common heritage of mankind.”
MFCC President Joseph Bugeja noted that the region is warming at nearly twice the global ocean average, with sea surface temperatures rising by 1.4°C since 1982. Bugeja emphasised the potential of the blue economy, which already contributes €590 billion to the EU economy and supports 4.8 million jobs.
As momentum builds ahead of the Nice conference, Malta is positioning itself as a strong advocate for ocean sustainability and global cooperation.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS)
