Kingston, Jamaica – The International Seabed Authority (ISA) welcomes Belize, Chad and Ecuador as the newest Parties to the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Seabed Authority in 2025. Ecuador deposited its instrument of accession on 31 July 2025, followed by Belize and Chad on 13 October 2025.
These accessions represent the first increase in the number of Parties in many years, bringing the total to 51 and marking a significant milestone for the ISA and its Member States.
The addition of new Parties strengthens the legal and operational security of the ISA, enhances its international standing and broadens the geographic scope within which its mandate can be carried out. It also reflects growing momentum in deep-seabed governance and a renewed spirit of multilateral cooperation among its Member States in support of the ISA’s mandate to manage the resources of the international seabed Area for the benefit of all humankind.
Additionally, on 20 September 2025, Kyrgyzstan deposited its instrument of accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), becoming the 170th Member State of the ISA.. As a landlocked country, Kyrgyzstan’s accession reaffirms the universal relevance of the law of the sea and underscores the inclusive nature of the ISA’s mandate. With 171 Members, the ISA now enjoys near-universal participation in its constitutive instrument, which is an exceptional level of commitment to the principles of UNCLOS and to multilateralism in the governance of the global ocean.
About the Protocol
The ISA Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities was adopted by the ISA Assembly during its first part of the fourth session in 1998 to ensure that the ISA, its officials and representatives of its Member States can perform their duties independently and effectively. By granting the necessary privileges and immunities within the territories of its Parties, the Protocol provides the legal framework enabling the ISA to fulfil its mandate under UNCLOS and to operate as an autonomous international organization serving the interests of all humankind.
For media inquiries, please contact:
ISA Communications Unit, news@isa.org.jm
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For more information, visit our website, www.isa.org.jm