Finland hails UN ocean treaty

Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on Sunday welcomed the United Nations (UN) Ocean agreement reached on Saturday at UN headquarters in New York to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

“Yesterday (Saturday), the historic #BBNJ agreement on biodiversity in marine areas was signed at the UN. The Treaty is important to succeed the target of protecting 30% of the ocean area by 2030,” Haavisto wrote in a twitter post in Finnish on Sunday.

The Minister also thanked the officials of the Ministry of the Environment who negotiated and worked on the issue.

The UN reached agreement to protect the world's oceans following 10 years of negotiations.

The negotiations remained held up following disagreements on funding and fishing rights.

The last treaty on ocean protection was signed in 1982.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also welcomed the agreement, reported Xinhua, quoting his spokesman.

"The secretary-general commends delegates for finalizing a text to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction," said an unnamed spokesperson for Guterres in a statement.

"This breakthrough, which covers nearly two-thirds of the ocean, marks the culmination of nearly two decades of work and builds on the legacy of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea."