World leaders approved a consensus declaration affirming that low-lying nations keep their statehood and established maritime zones even as rising seas change their coastlines.

BulletsIn

• The UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise was approved by consensus on Thursday, September 24, at a high-level meeting of the General Assembly in New York.
• It is described as the first UN-wide political framework on the legal, humanitarian and development consequences of sea level rise.
• The process began with General Assembly Decision 78/558 in 2024, which mandated the 2026 high-level meeting and an action-oriented declaration negotiated by consensus.
• The text affirms a presumption in favour of continued statehood, sovereignty and UN membership despite physical threats from rising seas.
• Maritime zones established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea can be maintained despite coastline changes, though states may still update them.
• The declaration commits states to expand early warning systems and risk data, and calls for more predictable and accessible adaptation finance.
• It also pledges to protect the rights, livelihoods and cultural heritage of people forced to adapt or move.
• The declaration is not legally binding and carries no new funding, and one report says the text still goes to a formal plenary for adoption.
• The United States, which has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, did not block the consensus.
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres said sea levels rose by almost six millimetres in 2024, the largest annual increase recorded.