Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has ratified the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction – commonly known as the BBNJ Agreement.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sustainable Development says the ratification, alongside Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, and Morocco, pushed the Agreement past the critical 60-country threshold needed for entry, into force.
The Agreement will become international law on 17 January 2026 – a defining moment for global ocean conservation.
This powerful international treaty protects ocean areas that belong to no single nation – the vast ‘high seas’ that cover nearly half of the planet.
The BBNJ Agreement focuses on marine life beyond national boundaries, creating a framework to conserve and sustainably use these shared ocean spaces.
The Agreement allows countries to create marine protected areas in international waters, conduct environmental impact assessments for activities that could harm ocean life, share benefits from marine resources fairly, and build capacity in developing nations to participate in ocean science and management.
Minister of Tourism and Sustainable Development, Carlos James said this step underscores the Ministry’s commitment to the sustainable management and equitable use of the ocean resources.
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