When Malawi became the first landlocked country to ratify the High Seas Treaty, it helped redefine what ocean stewardship looks like. The issue is not defined by proximity to the sea, but by a willingness to act in the common interest by safeguarding humanity’s shared life-support system.
LILONGWE – The world recently passed an important milestone: the agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, commonly known as the High Seas Treaty, has now come into force. The treaty enshrines a fundamental truth that: without a healthy ocean, life on this planet cannot endure.
More than a thoroughfare for travel and trade, the ocean is indispensable to human lives and livelihoods, not just in coastal regions but also in landlocked communities. Globally, the blue economy employs more than 500 million people and provides food security for around three billion. The ocean influences climate and rainfall patterns around the world, even in inland countries like Malawi, where around 80% of us rely on rain-fed agriculture. And crucially, the ocean absorbs 30% of human-produced carbon dioxide, making it an indispensable carbon sink.
