Women empowerment and leadership in marine scientific research are essential aspects of the actions undertaken by the International Seabed Authority to fulfil the responsibilities assigned to it under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement.
In fact, the Authority has a vision of a world in which women from developing States particularly women scientists from the least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) play a central role in deep-sea research – with impacts reaching far beyond the sphere of ocean science.
Therefore, cognizant of the numerous challenges and difficulties faced by women scientists during their career in emerging sectors such as deep-sea research, the Authority has developed a series of initiatives to draw awareness of leaders and decision-makers and enhance the role and participation of women in marine scientific research through focused capacity-building initiatives. Until today, such action was undertaken essentially through the contractor training programme, the Endowment Fund for Marine Scientific Research, internships and the implementation of the Voluntary Commitments the Authority registered at the 2017 UN Ocean Conference (#OceanAction15467).
However, more needs to be done. The importance of addressing this situation is prominently reflected in the Strategic Plan and in the High-Level Action plan of the Authority for 2019-2023 which call for specific actions to “identify and develop measures to strengthen the role of women in deep seabed related activities and, in particular, deep seabed research” (strategic direction 6.3.3).
The strength of our determination has also been reinforced recently through the adoption in December 2020, by the Assembly of the Authority, of the Action Plan developed in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.
Joining hands with the Office of the High Representative of the United Nations for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), the Authority is now embarking on a dedicated project aimed at leveraging partnerships for transformative and concrete actions that will remove barriers to the participation of women from developing States in deep-sea research and to their access to leadership roles.
I would like to take the opportunity to invite you all to attend the high-level webinar to be jointly organized by the Authority and UN-OHRLLS on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2021 to launch this project.
I count on your participation in this important initiative and on your contribution to advancing this strategic priority.
Save the date and register now at http://bit.ly/WIDSR-register to secure your participation!
A maximum of 200 participants will be allowed to attend the webinar live to ensure streaming quality. However, the webinar will be recorded and made available on ISA’s website shortly after. Interested participants are invited to register by 1 March 2021.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Stefanie Neno, Communications Specialist, ISA, sneno@isa.org.jm
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