The World’s Historic Oceans Treaty

Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at a landmark new treaty to protect the world’s oceans, China’s new economic growth target, and a devastating fire in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. 

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In a historic breakthrough, United Nations members have finalized a landmark treaty designed to safeguard marine life in the international waters that lie outside of any country’s jurisdiction. 

Encompassing more than 60 percent of the world’s oceans, the so-called high seas are home to myriad ecosystems, diverse marine life, and species that have yet to be discovered. But without any agreement prioritizing biodiversity protections, the area has fallen under a jumble of regulations and laws that have enabled exploitation and environmental harm. 

After nearly two decades of diplomatic wrangling and then an intense two-week-long sprint, more than 190 countries reached an agreement on Saturday night in New York. The result—known as the U.N. High Seas Treaty—creates the framework necessary to set up protected areas to guard against risks from overfishing and potential deep sea mining. 

“Today the world came together to protect the ocean for the benefit of our children and grandchildren,” tweeted Monica Medina, assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs at the U.S. State Department. “We leave here with the ability to create protected areas in the high seas and achieve the ambitious goal of conserving 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. And the time to start is now.”

Throughout negotiations, countries debated a host of thorny issues, including how to distribute potential profits gained from marine resources and where and how marine protected areas will be established. Many challenges lie ahead too: The treaty still needs to be ratified, and a number of questions remain over implementation.

But the agreement is itself a significant breakthrough that will pave the way for more robust environmental safeguards. Greenpeace hailed it as “the biggest conservation victory ever” while Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme, called it a “[h]istoric milestone.” 

“This action is a victory for multilateralism and for global efforts to counter the destructive trends facing ocean health, now and for generations to come,” said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

Monday, March 6: Finnish President Sauli Niinisto begins a five-day visit to the United States. 

The U.N. Human Rights Council discusses Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nicaragua, and South Sudan.

Tuesday, March 7: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg begins a two-day visit to Sweden.

Wednesday, March 8: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits India.

International Women’s Day is celebrated globally.

Thursday, March 9: Petr Pavel is inaugurated as president of the Czech Republic. 

Friday, March 10: French President Emmanuel Macron hosts British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

U.S. President Joe Biden hosts European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

China’s growth targets. The Chinese government has outlined plans to target “around 5 percent” in economic growth and increase its defense spending by 7.2 percent this year. In 2022, Beijing targeted 5.5 percent GDP growth, although the economy only grew by 3 percent, according to official numbers. 

As the country reopens, Beijing has been grappling with a sluggish economy and widespread uncertainty. China’s economic growth last year was one of its “worst performances in nearly half a century—mostly thanks to the uncertainty caused by repeated COVID-19 lockdowns,” FP columnist Zongyuan Zoe Liu wrote in February. “[T]o jump-start the economy, Chinese leaders must move beyond the familiar playbook that calls for boosting exports and government investment stimulus.”

Rohingya refugee camp fire. An estimated 12,000 refugees are now without shelter after a devastating fire spread through a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh on Sunday. According to the U.N. Refugee Agency in Bangladesh, the fire tore through 2,000 shelters and burned down 90 facilities. Authorities said they were able to manage the fire in three hours and have not reported any casualties. 

On Saturday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said officials had found “suspicious samples” while investigating what happened. Authorities have not reported any fatalities.

Egypt and Iraq’s deepening ties. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani met in Cairo on Sunday to discuss their economic and security interests as well as their deepening ties with Jordan, Egyptian presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy said in a statement. In recent years, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq have drawn closer, participating in several summits focusing on economic cooperation and strategic partnerships.

• Putin Has Assembled an Axis of Autocrats Against Ukraine by Justin Daniels

• The U.S. Needs to Talk About the Risk of War With China by Doug Bandow

• Iran Doubles Down on Arms for Russia by Robbie Gramer

For his roles as John Wick and Neo, actor Keanu Reeves has earned a reputation as a lethal fighter. When researchers in Germany discovered compounds that can kill fungi just as effectively as Reeves’s characters can knock out enemies, they named them “keanumycins”—paying homage to the actor and his skills.

“The lipopeptides kill so efficiently that we named them after Keanu Reeves because he, too, is extremely deadly in his roles,” said Sebastian Götze, one of the researchers.