Security & Strategic Review - February 2024

On 16 January Chile’s senate ratified the United Nations (UN) High Seas Treaty, which aims to establish protected marine areas. The decision received international praise as a strong signal of the country’s ambition to address issues such as pollution, deep-sea mining, intensive fishing, and other activities which threaten marine biodiversity. However, one week earlier, the government presented legislation which aimed to “modernise” or accelerate the country’ environmental permits system, a move which has caused concern among environmental activists.