After more than 15 years of informal and then formal talks, negotiators are coming to the end of two more weeks of discussions, the third "final" session in less than a year.
"I would ask for all delegations to do some warm-up exercises and stretches and be prepared to run the marathon to the finish line," said Rena Lee, chair of the conference that could run late into Saturday's early hours.
But on the eve of the scheduled end of discussions, long-standing disputes were still posing problems.
They include the procedure for creating marine protected areas, the model for environmental impact studies of planned activities on the high seas, and the sharing of potential benefits of newly discovered marine resources.
"We're still pretty far from a clean text," said Liz Karan of the Pew Charitable Trusts NGO.
Observers are hoping the final stretch will see a political boost from the Our Ocean conference, which is taking place in parallel in Panama. Many government officials are there to discuss the protection and sustainable use of the oceans.
"Life on earth depends on a healthy ocean," said Monica Medina, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
She said a high seas treaty is "critical" to ensuring governments meet their commitment to protect 30 percent of the world's land and ocean by 2030, as agreed in Montreal in December.
The high seas begin at the border of countries' exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from coastlines. They thus fall under the jurisdiction of no country.
While the high seas comprise more than 60 percent of the world's oceans and nearly half the planet's surface, they have long drawn far less attention than coastal waters and a few iconic species.
Only about one percent of the high seas is currently protected.
Ocean ecosystems create half the oxygen humans breathe and limit global warming by absorbing much of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities.
- North-South 'equity' -
But they are threatened by climate change, pollution and overfishing.
"I think despite all of the different outstanding issues, and there's a long list of them, the overall sense I'm getting is that we will have a deal in this session," Greenpeace activist Li Shuo told AFP.
For him, the political will is there and everything comes down to "global north versus south" and whether "we have the fairness and equity that we need in this deal."
Developing countries, without the means to afford costly research, say they fear being left aside while others make profits from the commercialization of potential substances discovered in the international waters.
In a move seen as an attempt to build trust between rich and poor countries, the European Union pledged 40 million euros ($42 million) in New York to facilitate the ratification of the treaty and its early implementation.
At the Panama conference, the EU also pledged $860 million for research, monitoring and conservation of oceans in 2023.
Observers interviewed by AFP say that resolving these politically sensitive financial issues could help ease other sticking points and finally allow the text to be submitted for approval at the conference.
"I think there is a commitment to try and get this done. People haven't given up yet," said Nathalie Rey of the High Seas Alliance, which includes more than 40 NGOs.
If agreement is reached, it remains to be seen whether the compromises made will result in a text robust enough to protect oceans effectively.
UN head says high seas treaty must be 'ambitious'
United Nations, United States (AFP) March 1, 2023 -
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urged countries Wednesday to agree a "robust and ambitious" treaty to protect the high seas, as time starts to run out for negotiators.
After 15 years of formal and informal talks, delegates have been meeting in New York since February 20 to discuss a text that aims to protect nearly half the planet.
It is the third "final" negotiating round in less than a year and is due to end Friday.
"Our ocean has been under pressure for decades. We can no longer ignore the ocean emergency," Guterres said in a message read to negotiators.
"The impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are being keenly felt around the globe, affecting our environment, our livelihoods and our lives," the secretary-general added.
"In adopting a robust and ambitious agreement at this meeting, you can take an important step forward in countering these destructive trends and advancing ocean health for generations to come."
The high seas begin at the border of countries' exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from coastlines. They thus fall under the jurisdiction of no country.
While the high seas comprise more than 60 percent of the world's oceans and nearly half the planet's surface, they have long drawn far less attention than coastal waters and a few iconic species.
An updated draft text released last weekend is still full of parenthetical clauses and multiple options on some major issues that will determine the robustness of the final agreement.
Observers who spoke with AFP however were optimistic Wednesday thanks to significant progress in talks over recent days.
"The first week felt like we were going around in circles, but we feel like the pace is very much picking up and the views are moving closer to one another," said Greenpeace's Laura Meller.
"A strong global ocean treaty is very, very reachable," she added.
Glen Wright, a researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, said he wouldn't call the proposal "ambitious."
"But I think it's strong enough to be meaningful, to set up something that states can use in the future to build on," he added.
Still under dispute is how the marine protected areas, a core part of any future treaty's mandate, will be created.
Several observers told AFP that China is pushing for the future governing body of any eventual treaty, known as the conference of the parties (COP), to determine the sanctuaries by consensus rather than a majority vote.
They say China is trying to give itself a de facto veto, like the one Beijing has used for years to prevent the creation of other marine protected areas by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
How to divide eventual profits from the collection -- by pharmaceutical, chemical or cosmetic manufacturers, for example -- of newly discovered marine substances is also causing division.
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