Greenpeace Croatia has sent a letter to Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman, with recommendations to governments on how to successfully conclude the negotiations on a UN Ocean Treaty, for which, the final phase of negotiations began in New York on Monday.

“Without a strong Treaty, it is practically impossible to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, the 30×30 target. This target was agreed at COP15 in Montreal in December 2022. Failure to agree a Treaty will jeopradise the 30×30 target just months after it was agreed. Progress on ocean sanctuaries was made at the last negotiations giving hope that a Treaty is within reach,” says the association.

Ahead of the start of the talks, Greenpeace’s head of oceans campaign and polar advisor Laura Meller was quoted as saying that “the oceans support all life on Earth.”

“Their fate will be decided at these negotiations. The science is clear. Protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030 is the absolute minimum necessary to avert catastrophe. It was encouraging to see all governments adopt the 30×30 target last year, but lofty targets mean nothing without action,” she said.

More than 50 High Ambition Coalition countries, including Croatia, promised a Treaty in 2022 and they failed.

“Many of the self-proclaimed ocean champions from the Global North refused to compromise on key issues such as financing and monetary benefit sharing from Marine Genetic Resources until the final days of talks. They offered too little, too late,” says the association.

A strong Treaty must be able to establish fully protected ocean sanctuaries across the high seas, free from activities like destructive fishing and deep sea mining.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) created by the Treaty must be able to take decisions on all potentially damaging activities, including fishing, inside protected areas without deferring to dysfunctional sectoral bodies that only care about short term interests.

The COP must also be able to operate by majority vote, not relying on consensus,  to avoid single countries stalling or blocking progress.