&w=3840&q=100)
18 more nations ratify high seas treaty to protect marine biodiversity
Adopted in June 2023, the treaty will enter into force 120 days after at least 60 countries ratify it. The treaty is crucial to meet a globally agreed biodiversity target of protecting 30 per cent of the oceans and lands by 2030, known as "30x30".
At a special High Seas Treaty event organised at the third United Nations Ocean Conference on Monday, Albania, Bahamas, Belgium, Croatia, Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Fiji, Malta, Mauritania, Vanuatu, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vietnam deposited their instruments of ratification.
They now join the 31 countries plus the European Union that have already deposited their ratification prior to the conference.
According to a statement from the High Seas Alliance, 18 more countries have signed the treaty, taking the total number of signatories to 134.
France, in partnership with Costa Rica, is hosting the third edition of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) in Nice from June 9 to 13. This is the first time since COP-21 in 2015 that France is hosting a UN conference on its soil.
The French government aims to make UNOC-3 a turning point for ocean conservation, comparable in ambition to the Paris Agreement for climate change.
India signed the treaty on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last year.
Officials told PTI last week that India is not in a hurry to ratify the treaty.
They said the government is still studying how the treaty fits with existing Indian laws such as the Wildlife Protection Act, Biological Diversity Act, Environment Protection Act and state-level marine fishing laws.
Before India can ratify the treaty, it needs to review its current laws, possibly make changes and get approval from Parliament. The treaty also requires countries to set up institutions for implementation and reporting, which India will have to plan for, the officials said.
The 'High Seas', also called 'International Waters', refers to areas beyond any country's national waters, exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and jurisdiction.
No single country controls these waters and all nations have the right to use them for navigation, fishing, research and other activities without interference.
Although the high seas cover more than 60 per cent of the ocean, only 1.2 per cent is currently protected.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
India to pitch for preferential trade pact expansion with Mercosur nations
India will pitch for expansion for a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mercosur nations during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Latin American nations such as Brazil and Argentina later this week. Mercosur is a Latin American trading bloc, with Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay as its members. It is the fourth-largest integrated market or trade bloc globally, after the European Union (EU), Nafta and the Asean. Modi began a five-nation tour from July 2 to 9, covering Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia. During his visit to Brazil, the Prime Minister will be participating in the Brics Summit and is scheduled to have bilateral talks with Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva. Modi will also meet Argentinian President Javier Milei. During both the meetings, India will push for expansion of the PTA with Mercosur bloc. 'India has been proposing an expansion of the PTA with Mercosur nations. However, there has been no consensus regarding this among the bloc. This will be discussed during the PM's visit to Argentina and Brazil,' a senior government official told Business Standard. India-Mercosur PTA was signed in January 2004, but came into effect from June 2009. Both sides had given tariff concessions ranging from 10 per cent to 100 per cent. India had given tariff concessions on 450 tariff lines, while the Latin American trade bloc had given concessions to 452 tariff lines. The main idea behind a PTA is to eliminate or remove tariffs, covering limited number goods and less comprehensive as compared to a free trade agreement. According to the department of commerce, the major products covered in Indian offer list are meat and meat products, organic and inorganic chemicals, raw hides and skins, leather articles, wool, cotton yarn, among others. The major product groups covered by Mercosur nations are food preparations, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, essential oils, plastics, rubber, machinery items, electrical machinery and equipment, among others. During the financial year 2024-25, India's exports to Mercosur countries stood at $8.12 billion, while imports were $9.36 billion. Among Mercosur nations, India's lion's share of the trade is with Brazil.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Kerala fisheries committee to protest demanding investigation and compensation for ship accident losses
Kochi: Kerala Fisheries Coordination Committee will organise a protest in front of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) at 10am on July 7. The protestors are demanding a comprehensive investigation into ship accidents under court responsibility, compensation for losses to the fisheries sector and workers based on international standards and the appointment of an expert committee to examine the losses to fisheries and the environment. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The protest will be inaugurated by Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, with committee chairman T N Prathapan presiding. The committee is also demanding the abandonment of plans to bring large corporate ships into the deep-sea sector. Former MLA V Dinakaran will deliver the keynote address. Other speakers include MLA P P Chitharanjan, Jackson Pollayil, Joseph Xavier Kalappurackal and Kerala Fishworkers Aikyavedi Forum president Charles George, among others. The fishers have been alleging that their fishing nets are getting damaged due to the debris of the shipwreck. They alleged that nets of 10 boats that went fishing from Kochi on Monday were torn, nine parts southwest of the estuary, hitting debris or containers from a ship. "The repair, installation of new nets and a week's work will result in losses worth Rs 10 lakh per boat. Since the sinking of the ship ELSA-3, accidents in the fishing area have been increasing. Last week, the nets of nine boats were similarly torn west of Thottappally," George said.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Trump announces trade deal with Vietnam that will let U.S. goods into country duty-free
President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Vietnam on Wednesday (July 2, 2025) that would allow U.S. goods to enter the country duty-free. Vietnamese exports to the United States, by contrast, would face a 20% levy. On his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump declared the pact "a Great Deal of Cooperation between our two Countries". In April, Mr. Trump announced a 46% tax on Vietnamese imports — one of his so-called reciprocal tariffs targeting dozens of countries with which the United States runs trade deficits. Mr. Trump promptly suspended the reciprocal tariffs for 90 days to allow for negotiations like the one with Vietnam. The pause expires Tuesday (July 1, 2025), but so far, the Trump administration has reached a trade agreement with only one of those countries — the United Kingdom. (Mr. Trump has also reached a "framework" agreement with China in a separate trade dispute.) 'Vietnam has been very keen to get out from under this," said Mary Lovely, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "This is forcing a smaller country to eat it, basically. We can do that. It's the big countries that everybody's keeping their eyes on." She doubts that Mr. Trump will be able to impose such a lopsided agreement on big trading partners such as the European Union and Japan. The United States last year ran a $122 billion trade deficit with Vietnam. That was the third-biggest U.S. trade gap — the difference between the goods and services it buys from other countries and those it sells them — behind the ones with China and Mexico. In addition to the 20% tariffs, Mr. Trump said the U.S. would impose a 40% tax on "transshipping" — goods from another country that stop in Vietnam on their way to the United States. Washington complains that Chinese goods have been dodging higher US tariffs by transiting through Vietnam. In May, Vietnam approved a $1.5 billion project by the Trump Organisation and a local partner to build a massive golf resort complex near Hanoi, covering an area roughly the size of 336 football fields. Vietnam was a beneficiary of American efforts to counter China's influence. Companies looking to diversify their supply chains away from China flocked to Vietnam. In 2023, it became the only country to host both President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on state visits. That year, the US upgraded Vietnam to its highest diplomatic status — comprehensive strategic partner — placing it on par with China and Russia.
