14 January 2025 – I recently undertook an official mission to Japan for a series of substantive engagements with government ministries, leading scientific institutions, philanthropic foundations and academic partners. The visit reaffirmed Japan’s long-standing and principled commitment to multilateral cooperation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its 1994 Implementing Agreement, as well as its expectation that the International Seabed Authority continues to provide legal certainty, a sound scientific basis and a stable platform for responsible ocean governance. 

I recently visited Singapore for a focused series of engagements with government, industry and knowledge partners. The mission reaffirmed Singapore’s support for multilateralism under UNCLOS, its growing leadership in ocean diplomacy, and its commitment to advancing coherent, science-based governance of the deep seabed.

New York, United States of America – 6 November 2025 – H.E. Justice (Retd) Jayantha Chandrasiri Jayasuriya, P.C., Permanent Representative of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, presented the original of his credentials to Ms. Leticia Carvalho, Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the ISA during a ceremony held at the ISA Liaison Office in New York on 6 November 2025.

Kingston, 3 December 2025 – More than 160 participants representing over 35 countries from across the global deep-sea research community gathered for a high-level webinar entitled, “Celebrating Women in Deep-Sea Science and Technological Innovation: Creating Lasting Impact through Knowledge Transfer.” Co-hosted by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the Government of France, the event marked the culmination of the pilot cohort of the See Her Exceed (S.H.E.) Global Mentorship Programme, an initiative launched in 2023, dedicated to advancing women’s leadership, technical expertise, and participation in deep-sea scientific research.