The International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia have concluded a virtual national capacity building workshop, which took place on 25-27 January in Kingston / 26-28 January in Indonesia.
The workshop involved 87 participants, including government officials, policymakers and researchers, and aimed at providing them with the necessary skills to enable Indonesia’s full participation in the work of ISA and in activities in the Area.
Damos Dumoli Agusman, Director-General of Legal Affairs and International Treaties, Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia, recalled Indonesia’s active participation in ISA ever since it was established and continued contributing actively in the negotiations to establish regulations for exploration and exploitation of minerals in the Area. Indonesia is now in the process of drafting a national legislation that would enable greater participation from Indonesian stakeholders in ISA’s work, including exploration and future exploitation activities in the Area, and align its national legal framework with the object and purposes of the Law of the Sea Convention. He further commended ISA for its continuous support in providing capacity development programmes to member States and wishes to see more Indonesians benefit from it.
A similar joint workshop was organized in Manado in 2007, which focused on the minerals and other resources found in the Area. In his opening remarks, ISA’s Secretary-General Michael W. Lodge welcomed the commitment and support of Indonesia towards the work of ISA and commended on the important progress realized in the development of Indonesia’s national deep-seabed mining legislation. “As Indonesia is progressing further with the development of its legislation for undertaking activities in the Area, ensuring that all national experts are fully equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge relating to the effective implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is essential. I trust that these last three days have provided a significant opportunity for all participants to discuss at length the legal regime of deep-seabed exploration and exploitation and exchange with all the experts. More work will probably be needed and we stand ready to continue working closely with Indonesia upon request,” he added.
The workshop covered topics such as ISA’s governance structure and mandate; the role and responsibilities of sponsoring States and contractors; marine scientific research activities and measures in place to protect the marine environment and conserve biodiversity; benefit sharing mechanisms; and capacity development and training initiatives implemented by ISA.
This initiative contributes to fulfilling ISA’s Strategic Plan and High-Level Action Plan for 2019-2023, in particular in relation to Strategic Directions 5 “Build capacity for developing State” and 6 “Ensure fully integrated participation by developing States”.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Stefanie Neno, Communications Specialist, ISA, sneno@isa.org.jm
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