Kingston, Jamaica – 2 August 2024 — The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has successfully concluded its twenty-ninth session with the closing of the Assembly meeting. The session was presided over by H.E. Ambassador Amara Sowa and took place from 29 July to 2 August 2024, with a break on 1 August in observance of Jamaican Emancipation Day.
In his opening remarks, Secretary-General Michael W. Lodge highlighted that 2024 marks the thirtieth anniversary of ISA and welcomed San Marino as the organization’s 170th Member.
The Assembly began by adopting the agenda. The election of the President faced a delay as the Eastern European Group was consulting on a nomination. The incumbent President will continue in the role until a new President is elected at the next regular session.
In the election of Vice-Presidents, Nauru was nominated by the Asia-Pacific Group, the Dominican Republic by the Latin American and Caribbean States Group and Portugal by the Western European and Other States Group. The Assembly adopted the decision on elections.
A highlight of the session was the presentation of the fifth Secretary-General’s Award for Excellence in Deep-Sea Research to Dr. Rengaiyan Periasamy from India, underscoring ISA’s commitment to advancing deep-sea research.
Pursuant to Article 166 (4) of UNCLOS (ISBA/29/A/2 and ISBA/29/A/7), the Assembly took note of the Secretary-General’s Annual Report, which detailed ISA’s achievements in the development of the regulatory framework for activities in the Area, advancement in marine scientific research, capacity development and environmental management. The report highlighted the launch of the Joint Training and Research Centre in Egypt, as well as the African Academy for Deep-Sea Diplomacy in Cameroon. It also highlighted the progress towards the development of regional environmental management plans, environmental threshold values and the progress in exploration activities of ISA contractors. The Secretary-General also mentioned progress in exploration and the work of contractors, emphasizing the importance of collecting baseline data. The report also highlighted the work of the ISA Partnership Fund, which allocated USD318,000 to marine scientific projects in celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of ISA.
The Assembly also took note of the report on the Council’s work during the twenty-ninth session, presented by H.E. Mr. Olav Myklebust of Norway (ISBA/29/C/9 and ISBA/29C/9/Add.1). The report highlighted progress on the Draft exploitation regulations and environmental protection measures, reflecting the ISA’s ongoing efforts to balance resource utilization with environmental safeguards.
Following brief statements, the Assembly adopted the budget proposed by the Secretary-General (ISBA/29/A/3/Add.1-ISBA/29/C/11/Add.1) for the upcoming fiscal period and the scale of assessment for contributions to the budget (ISBA/29/A/11), following recommendations from the Finance Committee and the Council.
Under agenda item 8, the Assembly discussed the request made by seven Member States in arrears to be allowed to exercise their voting rights under the terms of Article 184 of UNCLOS (ISBA/29/A/7/Rev.1). The Assembly did not reach a consensus and decided to request the Finance Committee to consider the matter during the thirtieth session.
At its 207th meeting on 29 July 2024, the Assembly appointed a Credentials Committee as proposed by the President. The Credentials Committee, consisting of Brazil, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, South Africa and Switzerland, elected Mr. Carl Grainger (Ireland) as its Chair for the twenty-ninth session. Following Mr. Grainger’s presentation of the Credentials Committee’s findings, the Assembly adopted the decision on the credentials of representatives for the twenty-ninth session.
In accordance with Article 166 (2) of UNCLOS, the Assembly held an election for the position of Secretary-General. Ms. Leticia Carvalho was elected the next Secretary-General of ISA. She will commence her duties on 1 January 2025.
Discussions on the periodic review of the international regime of the Area, as mandated by Article 154 of UNCLOS, did not reach consensus. It was agreed that the Assembly discuss the matter again at its thirtieth session.
A proposal for a general policy on the protection and preservation of the marine environment was submitted by several countries, including Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Ireland, Palau, Switzerland and Vanuatu (ISBA/29/A/4). While recognizing the importance of ensuring the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may be caused by activities in the Area, many delegations raised concerns about timing, procedure, budgetary implications and overlap with other priorities currently under way by the Council, including the development and adoption of the draft exploitation regulations for minerals of the Area. The Assembly did not reach a consensus on this proposal. The matter will not be included in its agenda for the thirtieth session.
The Assembly then elected 18 members to the Council for a four-year term from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028 in accordance with Article 161(3) of UNCLOS. The elected members were distributed as follows: Group A filled two vacancies with China and Japan, Group B filled one vacancy with India, Group C filled two vacancies with Canada and South Africa, Group D filled three vacancies with Bangladesh, Brazil and Uganda and Group E filled 11 vacancies with Argentina, Costa Rica, Mauritius and Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (ISBA/29/A/CRP.3).
The Assembly then adopted the extended high-level plan for ISA for the period 2019–2025 (ISBA/29/A/8) and announced that the thirtieth session of the Assembly will be held from 21 and 25 July 2025.
For more information about the Assembly’s agenda and its outcomes, please consult our daily bulletins.
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
For more information, visit our website, www.isa.org.jm, or follow us on Twitter @ISBAHQ.