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UN Approves Declaration on Sea Level Rise, Protecting Sinking Nations
Confirmed
In Short: World leaders approved the first UN declaration on sea level rise, ensuring nations losing land to the ocean retain their statehood and maritime rights.
World leaders on Thursday approved the first United Nations declaration on sea level rise, affirming that nations losing land to the ocean will retain their statehood and maritime rights, according to a new UN report that warns up to 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050.
The declaration, championed by small island states, affirms a “presumption in favour of continued statehood,” including membership of the UN. Statehood under international law has long rested on a defined territory and a permanent population, leaving low-lying nations facing the prospect that losing their land could mean losing their UN seat, their citizens’ nationality, and the vast ocean zones that fund their governments.
The declaration also affirms that maritime zones, once established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, remain stable as coastlines retreat. The political declaration is not legally binding and carries no new money.
Secretary-General António Guterres told the meeting that sea level rise is measured in millimetres, but its toll is measured in millions of shattered lives, uprooted communities, and stolen futures. Bill Hare, chief executive of Climate Analytics, said crossing certain thresholds would mean the extinction of many small island states and a catastrophic reshaping of coastlines around the world, affecting many hundreds of millions of people.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of Bangladesh cited World Bank estimates that 25 cm of sea-level rise by 2050 could submerge around 4% of the country’s land and upend the lives of some 10 million people.
The declaration was approved without objection at a high-level meeting of the General Assembly in New York and now goes to a formal plenary for adoption.
Background
In a separate development, US President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that gives the United States permanent control over security and other needs in Greenland, addressing US national security concerns.
The sea level has generally been rising since the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the global average sea level rose by 15–25 cm (6–10 in), with an increase of 2.3 mm (0.091 in) per year since the 1970s.
What's confirmed
- World leaders on Thursday approved the first United Nations declaration on sea level rise, affirming that nations losing land to the ocean will retain their statehood and maritime rights, according to a new UN report that warns up to 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050.
- The declaration, championed by small island states, affirms a “presumption in favour of continued statehood,” including membership of the UN. Statehood under international law has long rested on a defined territory and a permanent population, leaving low-lying nations facing the prospect that losing their land could mean losing their UN seat, their citizens’ nationality, and the vast ocean zones that fund their governments.
- The declaration also affirms that maritime zones, once established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, remain stable as coastlines retreat. The political declaration is not legally binding and carries no new money.
- Secretary-General António Guterres told the meeting that sea level rise is measured in millimetres, but its toll is measured in millions of shattered lives, uprooted communities, and stolen futures. Bill Hare, chief executive of Climate Analytics, said crossing certain thresholds would mean the extinction of many small island states and a catastrophic reshaping of coastlines around the world, affecting many hundreds of millions of people.
- Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of Bangladesh cited World Bank estimates that 25 cm of sea-level rise by 2050 could submerge around 4% of the country’s land and upend the lives of some 10 million people.
- The declaration was approved without objection at a high-level meeting of the General Assembly in New York and now goes to a formal plenary for adoption.
What's still developing
- Californians are encouraged to volunteer and serve through the end of 2026, and beyond at CaliforniaVolunteers.Ca.Gov. “California has championed service on an unprecedented level, and I’m proud to announce California Service Corps members have served over two million hours so far in 2026,” said Josh Fryday, Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement Director and California Chief Service Officer.
- MEDIA CONTACT: Cristina Valdivia, Cristina.Valdivia@cv.ca.gov, (916) 508-9018 What you need to know: To celebrate 175 years since California became a state and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, California is launching California Gives — a statewide effort to encourage Californians across the state to volunteer and give back.
- He was speaking at a high-level meeting in New York titled “The Road Ahead: One Year after the New York Declaration and the Comprehensive 20-point Peace Plan for Gaza,” co-chaired by Saudi Arabia, France, the UK and Canada.
- Riyadh and Paris co-chaired the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in July 2025, which produced the New York Declaration, an action-oriented roadmap toward Palestinian statehood and broader regional integration.
- The UN General Assembly endorsed the declaration in September 2025 by 142 votes to 10, with 12 abstentions.
- Prince Faisal reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace” based on the Arab Peace Initiative, relevant UN resolutions and the New York Declaration.