Kingston, Jamaica—29 July 2024—During the opening session of the twenty-ninth session of the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Michael W. Lodge announced the selection of four project proposals under the ISA Partnership Fund to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of ISA.
The ISA Partnership Fund, established in August 2022 by the Assembly (ISBA/27/A/10), is a multi-donor trust fund aimed at promoting marine scientific research in the Area for the benefit of humankind and supporting capacity development programmes for developing Member States of ISA. It emphasizes projects that empower women from least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing States, also known as Big Ocean States (BOS) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) in ocean affairs, including governance and deep-sea research.
In January 2024, the Secretariat invited stakeholders to submit project proposals. Eighteen submissions were received from a diverse range of participants, including ISA Member States, competent organizations, academic and scientific institutions, NGOs and private foundations.
The ISA Partnership Fund Board, comprising two representatives of the ISA Secretariat, the Chairs of the Finance Committee and the Legal and Technical Commission, and eight representatives of the Member States, including those from LDCs, LLDCs and BOS, carefully evaluated the proposals and selected the following projects.
For projects falling under category 1 – USD20,000
- From Surface to Depth: Fostering Deep-Sea Literacy in Mozambique’s Early Career Ocean Professionals, in partnership with Early Career Ocean Professional in Mozambique and Centro de Pesquisa e Tecnologias Marinhas de Moçambique, was awarded USD20,000 to enhance deep-sea literacy and build capacity among early career ocean professionals in Mozambique over six months.
For projects falling under category 3 – USD100,000
- Women in Blue: training opportunities in ocean science, in partnership with the Italian National Research Council (CNR), was awarded USD98,000. This project aims to provide advanced training in deep-sea research for 10 women from developing countries, where priority is given to women from LDCs, LLDCs and BOS to join the Institute on Marine Geology and Geodynamics, organized by the CNR. The course aims to train a future generation of ocean scientists specializing in the seabed and sub-seabed natural resources and technology and methodology. Six women will have the opportunity for additional training on-board the research vessel GAIA BLU, owned and managed by CNR. This will be conducted through collaboration between CNR and the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Egypt and will be included in the plan of work of the ISA-Egypt Joint Training and Research Centre.
- Women in Science Expedition, in partnership with the Cook Islands Seabed Mineral Authority, was awarded USD 100,000. This project is a 24-month initiative to conduct a deep-sea research expedition to be conducted in partnership with the Tonga Lands and Natural Resources Ministry, Kiva Marine, the UK Natural History Museum and Achilles Laboratory of the University of Evora and led by women in science to a never before studied exploration area of the Southwest Pacific. The objective of this expedition will be to increase the capability of the trainees to develop their knowledge of the assessment of mineral resources in the deep sea.
- A methodology for adaptive management of deep-sea mining sediment plumes, in partnership with atdepth LLC, was awarded USD100,000. This initiative will enable researchers from atdepth LLC and MIT in deep-sea mining sediment plume modelling and monitoring to provide a guidance tool for informed decision-making processes.
Announcing the results, Secretary-General Michael W. Lodge underscored the large range of projects received and the diversity of research objectives selected. “I am thrilled by the remarkable efforts made by all the proponents in designing proposals that could leverage further the important objectives of the ISA MSR Action Plan and Capacity Development Strategy for concrete and transformative actions,” Mr. Lodge said.
“I look forward to the results of these different projects and initiatives which, I trust, will deliver fantastic results due to the high-level commitments and engagement of all stakeholders involved,” Secretary-General Lodge added.
About ISA
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an autonomous intergovernmental organization mandated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to manage the mineral resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction for the shared benefit of humankind. ISA is committed to the principle that all economic activities in the deep seabed, including deep-seabed mining, must be regulated and responsibly managed using the best available scientific evidence for the benefit of all nations of the world. ISA works to ensure that the voices of all States, including developing States and other stakeholders, are effectively heard in discussions around the sustainable development of the deep seabed.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Mr. Philip Janikowski, Communications Specialist, ISA, pjanikowski@isa.org.jm