On 17 October 2023, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) – China Joint Training and Research Centre (ISA-China JTRC) launched its second training workshop on marine science and technology organized with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, the China Oceanic Development Foundation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Qingdao municipal government.
The training workshop will take place in Qingdao, China, from 16 to 27 October 2023 and involve 25 participants from 21 developing countries, including three nationals from small island developing states and six from least developed countries. Half of the participants are women.
The ISA-China JTRC was launched in 2021 as the first-ever joint training and research centre established by ISA in partnership with one of its members to support its mandate and work in relation to its responsibilities under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to promote and encourage marine scientific research in the international seabed area and facilitate the development of dedicated programmes to build and develop the capacities of individuals from developing countries, Members of ISA.
“Since the launch of the ISA-China JTRC, work has been carried out to organize and design some activities to be implemented in line with the needs identified by our Members and the strategic research priorities identified by all ISA Members and set out in the Action Plan they have adopted in support of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development,” noted the Secretary-General of ISA, H.E. Mr. Michael W. Lodge, in his opening remarks.
Addressing the participants, the Honourable Wang Hong, Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Administrator of State Oceanic Administration, noted, “Since the establishment of the ISA-China JTRC, colleagues from China and ISA have made concerted efforts to improve the JTRC through joint consultation and contribution, actively promoting regular training, scientific research and other activities. As a next step, both sides will further align and make greater contributions in the international seabed area and contribute to the sustainable development of the deep sea.”
The training workshop has been designed to expose the selected trainees to the front-running science and technology in deep-sea-related fields with specific emphasis on topics pertaining to the mineral resources of the Area, the framework and measures to ensure the effective protection of the environment, deep-sea biodiversity and habitats and deep-sea technologies and equipment. The workshop will also allow the trainees to operate underwater vehicles, meet and exchange with deep-sea scientists and experts from around the world and from the deep-sea research centre of Qingdao, and gain hands-on training on-board a research vessel.
More than 20 international and Chinese experts, including experts from the ISA Secretariat and Legal and Technical Commission, the National Deep Sea Center of China, the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association, the China Oceanic Development Foundation, the China Institute for Marine Affairs, the Ocean University of China, the Institute of Oceanology and Chinese Academy of Sciences have joined the initiative to share knowledge and experience with the trainees.
More information on the ISA-China JTRC can be accessed at https://www.isa.org.jm/training/JTRC
About ISA
ISA is an autonomous international organization mandated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to protect the seabed for the shared benefit of humankind. ISA is committed to the principle that all nations of the world should be able to benefit from responsible, sustainable and regulated economic activities in the deep seabed and from the potential resources the deep seabed holds for a global green transition. ISA works to ensure that the voices of all states and stakeholders, including developing states, civil society organizations and all ISA Member States, are effectively heard in discussions around the sustainable development of the deep seabed.
For more on ISA’s contractors, please visit: https://isa.org.jm/exploration-contracts
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Jaimie Abbott, Communications Specialist, ISA, jabbott@isa.org.jm