Kingston, Jamaica — On 3 March 2025, the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) of the International Seabed Authority (the Authority) officially opened its meetings under Part I of its thirtieth session, which is taking place until 14 March 2025 in Kingston, Jamaica.
The LTC re-elected Mr. Erasmo Lara Cabrera of Mexico as Chair and Ms. Sissel Eriksen of Norway as Vice-Chair for this session.
During 10 days of meetings, the LTC will review all relevant items on its agenda with a focus on finalizing work related to the production of a standardized procedure for the development, approval and review of Regional Environmental Management Plans.
The LTC will also review two environmental impact statements relating to the testing of mining equipment and components submitted in October 2024 by Beijing Pioneer Hi-Tech Development Corporation Ltd. and China Minmetals Corporation, respectively.
Finally, the LTC will take note of the progress made in the draft report prepared by its intersessional working group on the development of binding environmental threshold values. The report describes approaches considered for the development of threshold values related to toxicity, turbidity and settling of resuspended sediments and underwater noise and light pollution. It also proposes key recommendations for further development and review of threshold values and future research priorities. After reviewing the main conclusions of the report and pending issues, the LTC is expected to agree on the next steps and timeline for stakeholder consultation.
About the LTC
The LTC is a body of experts nominated by the Member States of the Authority and elected by the Council to serve in their individual capacities. The current LTC consists of 41 members from 41 different countries and all regions of the Authority elected in 2022 for a five-year term starting in January 2023.
About the International Seabed Authority
The International Seabed Authority (the Authority) 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. The Authority is committed to ensuring that all economic activities in the deep seabed, including mining, are regulated and responsibly managed using the best available scientific evidence for the benefit of all humankind.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Communications Unit of the Authority, news@isa.org.jm