On 10 February 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, H.E. Mr. Nikos Dendias, visited the Secretariat of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and presented a donation of EUR50,000 in support of the programmatic activities implemented in the field of marine scientific research and capacity development.
Greece’s donation is made towards ISA’s new Partnership Fund, which was created following a decision by the Assembly at its 27th session in August 2022 (ISBA/27/A/10). The Fund is designed to support programmes and activities aimed at ensuring the effective application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the global legal regime for seabed activities in the international seabed area (the Area). This includes promoting marine scientific research in the Area and developing the capacities of scientists and technical personnel from developing States to provide them with meaningful training opportunities to address the needs identified by them.
Mr. Dendias noted that the donation was a testament to the importance that Greece attaches to UNCLOS and the work of ISA. “It is our hope that this financial contribution will support projects and activities that will help to strengthen ISA’s efforts to ensure sound global ocean governance, and promote deep-sea research, capacity development and women’s empowerment and leadership,” he said.
“We look forward to welcoming ISA to the ninth Our Ocean Conference to be hosted by Greece in 2024 and to advancing these issues further,” he added.
The Secretary-General of ISA, H.E. Mr. Michael W. Lodge, sincerely thanked Greece for this contribution to the ISA Partnership Fund. “This is a clear expression of Greece’s commitment to the rule of law in the ocean,” Mr. Lodge said. “I thank Greece for its support for the role and mandate of ISA as a fundamental pillar of the global ocean governance architecture and as the steward of the Area and its resources,” he added.
With this contribution, Greece reaffirms its commitment to the mandate and role of ISA as the steward of the Area for the benefit of all humanity, particularly as it relates to its unique functions to promote and encourage the generation and dissemination of scientific knowledge as well as facilitate the integration of developing States in all seabed activities carried out in the Area.
At a programmatic level, this donation will contribute, among others, to the design and implementation of a dedicated capacity development scheme in the field of environmental impact assessment. It will also further advance women’s empowerment and leadership in marine scientific research, particularly women from developing States, including least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, in line with priorities identified both in the ISA’s Action Plan for Marine Scientific Research in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the ISA Capacity Development Strategy.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Stefanie Neno, Communications Specialist, ISA, sneno@isa.org.jm