Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Raphael Lotilla hailed the Senate’s unanimous ratification of the landmark Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), underscoring its long-term benefits for coastal communities, fisherfolk and scientists who depend on the seas for food and livelihood.

In a news release on Friday, Lotilla said the treaty, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also reaffirms the country’s commitment in the global efforts to safeguard marine biodiversity in international waters.

“With its unanimous concurrence, the Senate signified its commitment to safeguarding the nation’s marine wealth and humankind’s common heritage for the benefit of coastal communities, fisherfolk, scientists and all who rely on the bounty of the ocean,” Lotilla said

“This signals a strong adherence to equity and inclusivity, which can be achieved only through multilateralism, international cooperation and a rules-based international order,” he added

The BBNJ Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty, was unanimously ratified by the Senate on Wednesday.

The accord is the first legally binding framework to safeguard marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction and the third implementing agreement under the 1982 UNCLOS.

It was adopted by the international community in 2023 after nearly two decades of negotiations.

The DENR said the BBNJ Agreement covers the areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) — the high seas and the Area. That is, all parts of the water column, seabed, ocean floor and subsoil that are not under the sovereignty, sovereign rights, or jurisdiction of any State.

The high seas, meanwhile, are open to all States who may exercise freedoms, such as fishing and scientific research, with due regard for the interests and rights of other States.

The resources, such as minerals, within such seabed, ocean floor and subsoil are the common heritage of humankind, and may not be appropriated by any state.

States are bound to exercise rights and interests over these areas while fulfilling the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment.

Lotilla said that as an archipelagic state and being one of the richest in marine biodiversity, the Philippines depends fundamentally on the integrity of its marine ecosystems, particularly for food security and climate resilience.

He said that more than half of the country’s fisheries production comes from highly migratory species such as tuna, which traverse ABNJ and thus, protecting these ecosystems would directly support Filipino fishers and ensure the sustainability of local fisheries.

The designation of marine protected areas and environmental impact assessments for activities in ABNJ, will help preserve adjacent Philippine seas, he added.

The Philippines signed the treaty in 2023 during the UN General Assembly in New York, together with 67 other states, which marked the country’s formal participation in the global effort to protect marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (PNA)