Today, the agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) was officially ratified, marking a historic milestone in global efforts to protect the ocean. Now, they have the legal tools through the BBNJ agreement to do so. While it is important that all types of ocean areas are protected — both nearshore and far out to sea — this is a historic step toward safeguarding the ocean. The agreement was adopted on 19 June 2023 by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction convened under the auspices of the United Nations. The BBNJ Agreement becomes the third implementing agreement to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.