Twenty-sixth session of the International Seabed Authority (Part 2) postponed to October 2020

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) today announced that the second part of the 26th session of ISA initially scheduled to be held in July 2020 will be postponed, due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The session will instead take place in a reduced format in Kingston, Jamaica from 7 to 16 October 2020, with meetings of some of the technical bodies convened remotely starting from July 2020.

ISA Legal and Technical Commission opens its 26th Session meetings in Kingston

Ms. Michele Walker of Jamaica was today, re-elected as Chair of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), at the opening of the 26th Session meetings of the LTC in Kingston, Jamaica. Mr. Harald Brekke of Norway was re-elected as Vice-Chair of the LTC.

ISA Secretary-General meets with Ghana and Norway delegations to discuss progress of Africa’s Deep Seabed Resources Project

The Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) today met with the Head of the Delegation of Ghana to ISA and Coordinator of the African Group Mr. Solomon Korbieh, and Mr. Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, Head of the Delegation of Norway, to present the latest outcomes of the Africa Deep Seabed Resources (ADSR) project – a joint initiative between ISA, the African Union and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

First Part of 26th ISA Council Session Opens in Kingston

The 26th Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) opened in Kingston, Jamaica, yesterday with a focus on the Secretary-General’s report on implementation of decisions adopted by the Council at its 25th Session regarding the work of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), the development of draft regulations for exploitation of mineral resources, the composition of the LTC, and the status of exploration contracts.

ISA international workshop reviews impact of capacity-building programmes and underscores need for a programmatic approach

The first ever international workshop on ‘Capacity development, resources and needs assessment,’ organized by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston, Jamaica, concluded yesterday with a set of recommendations aimed at improving the delivery and implementation of ISA’s capacity development programmes and initiatives to meet the needs and priorities of developing States, particularly Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs).

Urgent call for contributions to the Voluntary Trust Fund to meet the costs of participation of members of the Legal and Technical Commission from developing countries

The Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Mr. Michael W. Lodge has announced with grave concern that, as of 29 January 2020, the Voluntary Trust Fund established to cover the cost of participation by members of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) and the Finance Committee from developing countries stands in negative balance.