Adopted in June 2023 after years of exhausting negotiations, the pact aims to protect marine habitats vital to humanity but threatened by pollution in vast waters beyond any national jurisdiction.
It now has 113 signatories, but just 21 have ratified it.
After the past two weeks of United Nations meetings in New York -- with the conspicuous absence of the United States -- negotiators came "one step closer to shaping the institutional backbone" of the agreement, said Nichola Clark of the Pew Charitable Trusts after the first preparatory commission for the treaty's entry into force.
However, as the treaty can only take effect 120 days after the 60th ratification, there is no chance of its enactment happening before the UN Oceans Conference gathers in Nice, France on June 9-13.
Experts now hope the 60-ratification threshold can be reached by June so the treaty can still take effect this year.
The Nice summit will feature dozens of heads of state and will be preceded by a conference bringing together 2,000 scientists from around 100 countries.
A special ceremony in Nice on June 9 will serve as "a unique opportunity to reaffirm our collective political commitment" to the treaty's implementation, French delegation head Sandrine Barbier said.
In a sign of growing enthusiasm, the opening preparatory commission moved more quickly than expected through discussions on multiple issues, including formulation of a system to exchange information between the parties.
- 'Exciting progress' -
There was "a lot of love in the room" for the treaty during the preparatory meetings, High Seas Alliance director Rebecca Hubbard told AFP, describing the text as "one of our best opportunities to deliver action to protect the ocean."
And beyond the technical elements, said Pew's Clark, "there's been some exciting progress and movement" on the issue of marine protected areas that are emblematic of the treaty.
Overall enthusiasm was dampened however by the absence of the United States -- which had signed on to the treaty under Joe Biden's administration but did not ratify it -- and a shock announcement by Donald Trump on a major, controversial issue for the oceans: deep-sea mining.
On Thursday, the US president opened the door to commercial extraction of rare earth minerals from the ocean floor, including in international waters, bypassing the jurisdiction of the International Seabed Authority, of which Washington is not a member.
Trump's executive order "is an insult to multilateralism and a slap in the face to all the countries and millions of people around the world who oppose this dangerous industry," said Arlo Hemphill, project lead on Greenpeace USA's campaign to stop deep-sea mining.
"This is a clear sign that the US will no longer be a global leader on protecting the oceans, which support all life on this planet."
Governments worldwide have put forward a goal to protect 30 percent of the world's land and ocean by 2030.
China says US deep-sea mining plan 'violates international law'
Beijing (AFP) April 25, 2025 - A US push to approve deep-sea mining in domestic and international waters "violates international law", China warned on Friday, after a White House order to ramp up permits.
"The US authorisation... violates international law and harms the overall interests of the international community," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to "expedite the process for reviewing and issuing seabed mineral exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits in areas beyond national jurisdiction".
Private companies and governments have long eyed the mineral and metal resources found in stretches of the ocean floor.
But they have mostly held off while waiting for the International Seabed Authority (ISA) regulator to devise rules -- a process that began in the 1990s.
The United States never ratified the agreements that empowered the ISA's jurisdiction and is not a member of the UN-affiliated body.
Trump's order demands Washington become a "global leader" in seabed exploration and "counter China's growing influence over seabed mineral resources".
Beijing, which has so far held off mining in international waters while awaiting ISA rules, warned Trump's orders "once again expose the unilateral approach and hegemonic nature of the United States".
Trump signs order to ramp up US deep-sea mining
Washington (AFP) April 25, 2025 -
US President Donald Trump has defied international norms and instructed a quick start to deep-sea mining in domestic waters and beyond, sparking an angry warning from Beijing that the move "violates international law."
Washington wants to lead efforts to scoop up mineral-rich deep-sea nodules and other material from the seabed, sidestepping an international regulatory effort and overriding the concerns of environmentalists.
White House aides say it could pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the American economy, and counter Beijing's chokehold on key minerals.
But it would also undermine decades of efforts by global regulators at the International Seabed Authority to devise a level playing field and environmental protections for the industry.
The United States never ratified the agreements that empower the ISA's jurisdiction over seabeds in international waters, and is not a member of the UN-affiliated body.
Instead, the Trump administration is "relying on an obscure 1980 law that empowers the federal government to issue seabed mining permits in international waters," the New York Times reported.
The ISA did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
Trump's order gives the secretary of commerce 60 days to "expedite the process for reviewing and issuing seabed mineral exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits in areas beyond national jurisdiction."
The move sparked anger in Beijing, which holds more exploration licences than any other country but has held off mining awaiting the ISA's rules.
"No country should bypass the International Seabed Authority and international law and arbitrarily authorise exploration and development activities," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in response to a question from AFP.
"The US authorisation of exploration and exploitation of mineral resources on its so-called outer continental shelf violates international law and harms the overall interests of the international community."
- 'Environmental disaster' -
Commercial deep-sea mining remains in its infancy, but with a global race underway for rare earth minerals -- and the industry dominated by China -- Washington appears set on expanding its collection capacity to benefit its defense, advanced manufacturing and energy industries.
Environmental groups warn the process can cause major ecological damage.
"Fast-tracking deep-sea mining is an environmental disaster in the making," Emily Jeffers, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
"Trump is trying to open one of Earth's most fragile and least understood ecosystems to reckless industrial exploitation."
The boosted deep-sea mining policy is aimed in part at "strengthening partnerships with allies and industry to counter China's growing influence over seabed mineral resources," the White House said.
The ISA is scrambling to devise a rulebook for deep-sea mining, balancing its economic potential against warnings of irreversible environmental damage.
Last week, the American firm Impossible Metals said it had asked US officials to "commence a leasing process" in a parcel of the Pacific Ocean surrounding far-flung US territory American Samoa.
That would be within US jurisdiction, rather than international waters.
However, Canada-based deep-sea mining frontrunner The Metals Company recently stunned industry observers by abruptly announcing it would seek US approval to mine in international waters.
Its CEO Gerard Barron lauded Trump's order Thursday.
"By building on decades of domestic innovation and regulatory groundwork, this action reasserts America's role in securing critical seabed resources and ensures the US is not left behind in a strategic arena increasingly influenced by China," Barron said in a statement.
Key seabed resources include polymetallic nodules: potato-sized pebbles found at depths of 13,000 to 20,000 feet (4,000 to 6,000 meters) that contain manganese, iron, cobalt, copper and nickel.
A senior administration official told reporters shortly before the signing that the United States could retrieve more than a billion metric tons of material, and the process could create an estimated 100,000 jobs and generate $300 billion in domestic GDP over 10 years.
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