JAMAICA, Kingston (20 January 2017) – – In an effort to better communicate with members and contractors of the Authority, Secretary-General Michael W Lodge recently announced the first phase of organizational changes at the Secretariat.

On Tuesday, 11 January 2017, Mrs. Taous Achab of the Embassy of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, presented her credentials as the Permanent Representative to the International Seabed Authority to the Secretary-General, Mr. Michael W. Lodge.

JAMAICA, Kingston (3 January 2017) – –  Mr. Michael Lodge began his tenure as the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority on 1 January 2017.  He was elected Secretary-General on 21 July 2016 at the Authority’s 22nd Session for a 4-year term.

JAMAICA Kingston (9 December 2016) – – A workshop on the ISA Environmental Management Strategy for the Area will be held in Berlin, Germany from 19-24 March 2017.

JAMAICA, Kingston (3 December 2016) – –  The Authority has received 43 submissions of comments from stakeholders on its working draft Regulations and Standard Contract Terms on Exploitation for Mineral Resources in the Area. Among them, eight were submitted by governments (seven members and one observer), ten by Contractors, one by an international organization and nineteen by non-governmental organizations and institutions. 
 
In an continued effort to get more global participation of stakeholders and to increase transparency in the drafting of the mining code, the Secretariat circulated the working draft exploitation regulations issued by the Legal and Technical Commission in July 2016 for comments by a 25 November 2016 deadline.

JAMAICA, Kingston (18 November 2016) – –  The French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) is offering two (2) internships for candidates from developing States in accordance with its exploration contract for polymetallic nodules with the International Seabed Authority. 

JAMAICA, Kingston (3 November 2016) – –  The deadline for comments by members and all stakeholders to the initial working draft regulations and standard contract terms on exploitation for mineral resources in the Area has been extended to 25 November 2016.
  
The zero draft is the first step toward consolidating the views of the Authority’s stakeholder base following a number of stakeholder consultation initiatives in 2015, workshops and technical discussion papers issued by the Authority.

JAMAICA, Kingston (28 October 2016) – –  Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, presented her credentials to the Secretary-General as the new Permanent Representative to the International Seabed Authority on 26 October 2016.  She is also the Head of the Delegation to Belize, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands with the rank and title of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

JAMAICA, Kingston (21 October 2016) – – Ifremer (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) is offering one (1) at-sea training place for candidates of developing states in accordance with its contract for polymetallic sulphides exploration with the International Seabed Authority. The at-sea training will take place on-board one of Ifremer’s research vessel for a duration of approximately two months.
  
The training will take place between March and May 2017 and will be organised as follow: 2 days pre-cruise (at the port of mobilization); 44 days at-sea training (15th March and 28th April 2017); and 10 days for the post-cruise training in Brest.