Belgium is campaigning hard to host the secretariat of the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement), while simultaneously supporting deep-sea mining. Today, 44 NGOs are warning this contradiction risks undermining the treaty.
In an open letter to the Belgian government, civil society groups including Seas At Risk call on Belgium to support a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining, arguing that it is the first major industrial test case of whether the BBNJ’s core principles – precaution, ecosystem protection, and no harm – will be upheld in practice.
Posted on: 16 January 2026
