Regional workshops held in Nauru and Kiribati to strengthen specific capacity-building needs of Pacific sponsoring States

Senior governments officials and experts from Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS) of the four sponsoring States (Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga) convened at regional workshops held in Nauru and Kiribati, last week to boost the capacity of P-SIDS in marine scientific research and raise awareness of the legal aspects of deep seabed activities undertaken beyond national jurisdiction.

Third IORA Ministerial Conference underscores crucial role of deep-sea exploration in advancing the Blue Economy in the Indian Ocean region

Effective international cooperation in collecting and sharing knowledge of ocean resources will be critical to realizing all aspects of the Blue Economy in the Indian Ocean region, particularly data on marine biodiversity, highlighted the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Mr. Michael W. Lodge, at the Third IORA Ministerial Conference held in Dhaka on 5 September.

UN Global Compact meeting on Oceans outlines rising demand for responsibly sourced deep-seabed minerals and related opportunities in delivering on the Global Goals

Deep seabed mining has the potential to accelerate progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by increasing scientific knowledge of the deep ocean whilst at the same time providing opportunities for economic growth on the basis of fairness and equity , highlighted Mr. Michael W. Lodge, Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) at the High-Level UN Global Compact meeting held in Oslo, Norway, last week.

Promoting strengthened cooperation to support the sustainable development of African deep-seabed resources and Africa’s Blue Economy

High-level representatives from African States, international organizations and experts on law of the sea, policy, mining, environment protection and geology convened at a regional workshop from 16 to 18 May, organized in Pretoria by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), in partnership with the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

China pledges extraordinary support to ISA for the Endowment Fund for Marine Scientific Research, the Voluntary Trust Fund and 25th Anniversary

To mark the 25th Anniversary of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the Government of the People’s Republic of China pledged extraordinary support to the programmes and initiatives of ISA that encourage increased participation of developing States, including in marine scientific research activities, and promote the sustainable development of mineral resources in the international deep seabed area.

Proposal of draft exploitation regulations released by ISA Legal and Technical Commission

Today marks a major step forward towards the delivery of a comprehensive legal regime for deep-seabed mining beyond national jurisdiction with the release of draft regulations on exploitation of the mineral resources in the international seabed area by the Legal and Technical Commission, a 30-member expert advisory body of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).