World leaders have passed the first United Nations declaration on sea level rise, affirming that sinking island nations will keep their statehood even if their land disappears.

The declaration was adopted unanimously at the UN General Assembly in New York. Under it, nations facing total land loss will retain sovereign statehood, UN membership and their maritime borders, including exclusive rights to fishing and undersea energy.

The agreement settles a long legal question. Statehood once required defined territory and a permanent population. Nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands faced the prospect of losing recognition as rising seas swallow their land.

The United States did not block the text, a rare consensus moment. The declaration calls for more adaptation funding but carries no new money and is not legally binding.

Small island states pushed for the deal for years. For them, the vote is a first global guarantee that their countries cannot vanish from the map.