As international treaty comes into force, bill to make it law in Britain is moving at ‘glacial pace’ through parliament
The UK risks being shut out of a historic oceans summit because parliament has failed to ratify the UN’s high seas treaty, environmental charities and campaigners have warned.
The high seas treaty, formally known as the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, comes into force on Saturday, after two decades of talks.
But although the UK has signed the treaty, the bill to ratify it – introduced last September – still needs to pass through parliament and be deposited at the UN.
In a letter to the foreign secretary, the heads of 18 UK environmental charities have condemned “the glacial pace of government progress” on ratifying the treaty, which was officially adopted in 2023. They call for the bill to be passed in good time before the first Ocean Cop summit, which is expected to take place this year, to ensure Britain is included.
