On 8 January 2024, the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) confirmed the selection of one (1) candidate from a developing State to benefit from an internship opportunity provided by French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) in accordance with its obligations under its exploration contract for polymetallic sulphides with ISA.
The selected candidate is Ms. Raz Shauqeena Batrisyea Razmi Shah from Malaysia. The internship will take place within the deep-sea ecosystems studies laboratory of Ifremer, in Brest, for a duration of two months (approximately from April to May 2024 or earlier if the candidate is available).
The activities of the internship will include:
- Extracting and counting meiofauna individuals from the 20-300 µm fraction of the material collected on substrata (binocular work)
- Sorting individuals into major taxonomic groups (copepods, nematods, halacarids…)
- Imaging and taking morphometric measurements on some macrofaunal taxa previously sorted from the > 300 µm fraction collected on substrata.
One of the Voluntary Commitments registered by ISA at the 2017 UN Ocean Conference (#OceanAction 40768) and reiterated in 2022 was ‘Enhancing the role of Women in Marine Scientific Research through Capacity Building’ – As partner of the Women in Deep-Sea Research project (WIDSR), IFREMER has pledged to allocate 50% of the training opportunities to qualified women applicants.
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All contractors with ISA have a legal obligation to provide and fund practical training opportunities for personnel from developing States and those of ISA, including the participation of such personnel in all activities in the Area which are covered by the contract.
The legal basis for the requirement stems from the provisions of UNCLOS and the 1994 Agreement and is set out in the standard terms of exploration contracts signed with ISA.
Please visit this page to know more about the Contractor Training Programme.
For additional information, please contact:
Ms. Annekah Mason, Training Coordinator, ISA, training@isa.org.jm