On 13 July 2022, the Secretariat of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) hosted the second ceremony to present end-of-training certificates to nationals from developing States who benefitted from opportunities provided by exploration Contractors of ISA under the Contractors’ Training Programme in 2021 and 2022.
The ceremony awarded certificates to 23 trainees from 15 developing States, including five women, who benefitted from placements provided by five Contractors. Among the 23 trainees, five were nationals from least developed countries, landlocked developing countries or small island developing States, which have been identified as a priority by ISA in terms of capacity development.
In his welcome remarks, the Secretary-General of ISA, H.E. Mr. Michael W. Lodge, expressed his satisfaction at hosting the ceremony in the presence of the members of the Legal and Technical Commission of ISA, who selected the trainees through a thorough, competitive process.
“I also wish to commend ISA contractors for continuing to offer training opportunities despite the constraints generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Creative solutions were found, including high-quality virtual training programmes, to deliver on this important mission,” Mr. Lodge said.
Global Sea Mineral Resources NV (GSR) provided 5 training opportunities, including two at-sea placements in 2021, one fellowship for a Master’s degree in Oceans & Lakes in 2018-2021 and one professional training on dredging technology in 2022. China Minmetals Corporation (CMC) provided six virtual fellowship placements between October 2021 and May 2022. China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA) provided nine online theoretical training placements between December 2021 and March 2022. Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI) provide one at-sea placement in engineering in 2022. The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources of the Federal Republic of Germany (BGR) provided two at-sea placements followed by post-cruise training in 2021-2022.
Training and capacity-building have been integral features of activities of ISA since its establishment in 1994. This responsibility is also recognized in the Strategic Plan and High-Level Action Plan for the period 2019–2023 under Strategic Directions 5 (Build capacity for developing States) and 6 (Ensure integrated participation by developing States). All Contractors of ISA have a legal obligation to provide and fund training opportunities for personnel from developing States and those of ISA. More than 200 professionals have benefitted from the Contractors’ Training Programme so far. The first ever ceremony to present end-of-training certificates was hosted by the Secretariat on 31 March 2022. It handed certificates to 29 trainees from 20 developing States, including ten women, who benefitted from placements provided by six ISA Contractors during 2021-2022.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Stefanie Neno, Communications Specialist, ISA, sneno@isa.org.jm