The government says it is positioning itself to take full advantage of the United Nations (UN) High Seas Treaty, which entered into force, on Saturday January 17.

The treaty officially called, “The Agreement Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction”, is widely referred to as the ‘BBNJ Agreement’.

It marks a new phase of international cooperation in ocean governance.    

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kamina Johnson Smith, has welcomed the development.

She noted that Jamaica ratified the treaty in June 2025 at the third UN Oceans Conference held in Europe, after actively participating in the negotiations of the BBNJ Agreement.

Mrs. Johnson Smith said Jamaica continues to play an active role in multilateral ocean governance.