[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 188 (Wednesday, December 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S7172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





      REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 118-2

  Mr. BOOKER. Madam President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous 
consent that the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following 
treaty transmitted to the Senate on December 18, 2024, by the President 
of the United States:
  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 (Treaty Document No. 118-2); I 
further ask that the treaty be considered as having been read the first 
time; that it be referred, with accompanying papers, to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed; and that the 
President's message be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The message of the President is as follows:

To the Senate of the United States:
  With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to 
ratification, I transmit herewith 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 (the ``Agreement''). I also transmit, for the information 
of the Senate, the report of the Department of State with respect to 
the Agreement.
  The purpose of the Agreement is to ensure the conservation and 
sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national 
jurisdiction (ABNJ), often referred to as the high seas, which are 
under threat from a multitude of stressors. The high seas includes 
ocean areas beyond countries' 200-mile exclusive economic zones and 
covers about two-thirds of the global ocean.
  The Agreement will create a mechanism to establish marine protected 
areas in ABNJ, a vital step in the global effort to conserve or protect 
at least 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030. It will create a 
system for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of 
marine genetic resources from ABNJ. The Agreement also includes 
provisions ensuring that Parties conduct rigorous environmental impact 
assessments for their activities in ABNJ and provisions on capacity-
building and the transfer of marine technology related to the 
Agreement. The Agreement is key to supporting the sustainable use of 
marine resources, maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems, and 
conserving marine biological diversity. Implementation of the Agreement 
will respect the competences of and not undermine other international 
bodies and will require consultations with those organizations to 
enhance cooperation and coordination on the conservation and 
sustainable use of the marine resources of the high seas.
  I believe joining the Agreement to be fully in the interest of the 
United States. I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable 
consideration to the Agreement and give its advice and consent to 
ratification.

                                            Joseph R. Biden, Jr.  
The White House, December 18, 2024.

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