Delegates from up to 193 U.N. member states will start talks in New York on Monday in an effort to wrap up negotiations on a long-awaited treaty to protect the world's oceans from overfishing, pollution and other threats.
The high seas — areas lying beyond countries' exclusive economic zones — make up nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans, which means a global agreement is needed on how to preserve and manage the waters and their biodiversity.
"Humanity has been waging a senseless and self-defeating war on nature, and the ocean is on the front lines of the battle," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last month as he called on nations to conclude the delayed negotiations.