New York, USA (23 September 2026) – The new Permanent Representative of the Gabonese Republic, H.E. Ambassador Patricia Muriel Djella Ogandaga, presented her credentials to Madam Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.
The high-level meeting took place at the office of the ISA in New York, where Madam Secretary-General was attending the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly.
Ambassador Djella Ogandaga brings to the role a strong background in public international law and the United Nations system, including seven years in the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs, as well as acting as Legal Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador-at-Large for Relations with the United Nations. Since 2024, she has represented Gabon in the work of the ISA through its Permanent Mission in New York.
Upon presenting her credentials, the Permanent Representative reinforced Gabon´s intention to “lend its full and active support to the work of the Authority, and to engage more closely in advancing negotiations on the draft exploitation regulations so as to contribute constructively to the emergence of a regulatory framework that is both robust and equitable; noting that as a coastal state Gabon attaches particular importance to the work of the Authority in delivering the promise of the common heritage of humankind that is environmentally sound, grounded in science and fair to developing countries”
Ambassador Djella Ogandaga also declared that the Gabonese government “further supports the Authority’s approach to strengthening the scientific and technical capacities of developing States, so that they may take part more fully and effectively in these negotiations and share equitably in the benefits derived from the common heritage of mankind.”
Madam Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho highlighted the longstanding relationship between Gabon and ISA and recognized “Gabon’s wider commitment to ocean governance,” through the ratification of the BBNJ Agreement last year, “a clear signal of that commitment,” that “together with Gabon’s work on the blue economy and marine biodiversity, provides a strong basis for closer engagement with the Authority on science, capacity development and responsible ocean governance.”
Madam Secretary-General expressed to the Ambassador her hope that cooperation will provide an opportunity to identify “those areas where Gabon’s experience and interests can contribute most directly to the work of the Authority and invited Gabon to participate in the African Academy for Deep Sea Diplomacy.
About ISA
The International Seabed Authority is an autonomous intergovernmental organization established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to organize, regulate and control activities in the seabed beyond national jurisdiction for the benefit of humankind as a whole. ISA is committed to ensuring that all activities in the deep seabed are carried out responsibly, using the best available scientific evidence and in accordance with the principle of the common heritage of humankind.
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