Pew Celebrates Earthshot Prize Win for High Seas Treaty

WASHINGTON-The Pew Charitable Trusts applauded the High Seas Treaty for winning an Earthshot Prize today during a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

The United Nations treaty was one of three finalists nominated for the £1 million ($1.3 million) prize in the "Revive Our Oceans " category. The agreement, which will enter into force in 2026, creates a legal pathway to conserving and protecting some of the ocean's greatest reservoirs of biodiversity in the vast waters beyond national borders.

The High Seas Alliance which represented the treaty at the ceremony and was established with Pew's assistance, united more than 70 organizations worldwide in a decade-long collaboration that delivered the historic high seas treaty. The agreement, which will enter into force in 2026, creates a legal pathway to conserving and protecting some of the ocean's greatest reservoirs of biodiversity in the vast waters beyond national borders.

Tom Dillon, Pew's senior vice president for environment and crosscutting initiatives, issued the following statement: "The high seas-which lie beyond the maritime boundaries of any country and cover half the planet-support abundant fisheries and marine life, serve as key migratory routes, and harbor remarkable ecosystems such as deep-water corals. The Earthshot Prize recognizes the importance of protecting the high seas and underscores what can be achieved through partnership and collaboration."

Dillon also applauded the Debt for Nature Coalition, of which Pew is a founding member, for its innovative and collaborative effort to scale up conservation finance through sovereign debt conversions, earning it a finalist spot in the same category. Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, a partnership between Pew and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy, supported the world's largest debt conversion in May 2023.

The Earthshot Prize, founded by HRH Prince William in 2020, recognizes groundbreaking solutions to environmental challenges in five categories. This year's winners were selected from nearly 2,500 nominations across 72 countries.