New York, USA—H.E. Mr. Harold Adlai Agyeman presented his credentials to H.E. Mr. Michael W. Lodge, Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), as the first ever Permanent Representative of Ghana to ISA, during a ceremony held on Friday, 21 June 2024.
Ambassador Agyeman, currently serving as Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations is a seasoned diplomat who has held various prestigious positions within the Government of Ghana. His extensive experience includes serving as Director of Administration and Director of Africa and Regional Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana, where he significantly contributed to regional cooperation and integration efforts in Africa. Throughout his diplomatic career, Ambassador Agyeman has demonstrated strong leadership skills, serving as Acting High Commissioner of the Republic of Ghana to India and Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the Embassy of Ghana to the Republic of Benin.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Agyeman recalled Ghana’s “long-standing engagement with ISA and [his] country’s commitment to see through the remaining work and negotiations for the full implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
He also stressed “that the presentation of the credentials as the very first Permanent Representative of the Republic of Ghana to do so, was a practical demonstration of the commitment of Ghana towards ISA.”
Secretary-General Lodge welcomed Ambassador Agyeman, noting his rich diplomatic experience and expertise in multilateral forums, where he has always played an instrumental role in promoting consensus-based decision-making.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Ambassador Agyeman as Permanent Representative of Ghana to ISA. Ghana has been a long-standing supporter of the legal regime of the Area as set out by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement. My predecessor as Secretary-General, the late H.E. Mr. Nii Allotey Odunton, was a distinguished Ghanaian who served ISA from 2009-2016. Ghana has long contributed as a member of the Council as well as by providing experts to the legal and technical bodies of ISA.” Mr. Lodge said.
About ISA
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an autonomous intergovernmental organization mandated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to manage the mineral resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction for the shared benefit of humankind. ISA is committed to the principle that all economic activities in the deep seabed, including deep-seabed mining, must be regulated and responsibly managed using the best available scientific evidence for the benefit of all nations of the world. ISA works to ensure that the voices of all States, including developing States and other stakeholders, are effectively heard in discussions around the sustainable development of the deep seabed.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Mr. Philip Janikowski, Communications Specialist, ISA, pjanikowski@isa.org.jm