31st Session of the Council

General

• Indicative Programme of Work (IPW), Part I, 31st Session (v. 19 March 2026): PDF
• Annotated Agenda: PDF
• Briefing note on the Further Revised Consolidated Text of the draft Regulations on Exploitation of Mineral Resources in the Area (version 24 February 2026): PDF

Further Revised Text and related documents

• Further Revised Consolidated Text (ISBA/31/C/CRP.1/Rev.2): Word doc | PDF
• Further Revised Consolidated Text (clean) (ISBA/31/C/CRP.2/Rev.2): Word doc | PDF
• Further Revised Suspense Document (ISBA/31/C/CRP.3): PDF 
• Draft indicative list of outstanding issues (ISBA/31/C/CRP.4): PDF 
• Draft Decision on the Establishment of the Compliance Committee (ISBA/31/C/CRP.5): PDF
• Draft Decision of the Council on the Election mechanisms of the members of the Economic Planning Commission (ISBA/31/C/CRP.6): PDF 

Intersessional Work

• List of Informal Working Groups and Friends of the President: PDF

Informal Working Groups (from December 2025)

1.Effective control

2. Inspection, compliance and enforcement mechanism

• Briefing note – ICE Mechanism
• Note and Draft Council Decision on the Establishment of a Compliance Committee

3. Equalization measure

4. Rights and interests of coastal States

• Report of the group, March 2026.
• Annex A – DR4alt
• Annex B – DR4alt.Rev

5. Underwater cultural heritage

• Comments by Spain on the FRCT, 23 February 2026.
• Briefing note – Thematic Discussion

6. Environmental management and monitoring

• Note for IWG on Environmental Management and Monitoring

8. Closure Plans

• Guiding Questions for Discussion_ Closure Plan_(DR59_DR60_DR61)

9. Reference to regional environmental management plans (REMPS)

• Preparation note on REMPs

Friends of the President (from December 2025)

1.Submarine cable protection

• Guiding Questions for Submarine Cable FOP on 10 March 2026

2. Payment mechanism and review of payment mechanism

• System Of Payment For The Exploitation Of Mineral Resources In The Area: Updated Fiscal Model And Considerations For The ISA Council (presentation of the IGF)

3. Modification of a Plan of Work by a Contractor

4. Environmental Compensation Fund

• Report and guiding questions on the ECF

5. Seabed Mining Register

• Work summary and way forward FOP DR 92 SMR, 8 March 2026

6. Prevention of corruption

• Preparation note on Prevention of Corruption

7. Environmental Goals and Objectives

8. Non-Compliance Notice, Suspension, and Termination of Exploitation Contract

• Note on Non-Compliance

Other outstanding issues

Definition of “Contractor”

• Paper from the United Kingdom and the Interim Director-General of the Enterprise on the treatment of the Enterprise in the Draft Regulations on Exploitation
• Annex – References to “Contractor” in the Draft Regulations on Exploitation (considering the role of the Enterprise)

Parent Company Liability

• Non paper regarding by the Netherlands on Parent Company Liability Statements

Letters and other communications

• The ocean and human rights, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, Astrid Puentes Riano, 31 December 2024
• Policy Brief the Precautionary Principle and Deep-Seabed Mining: A State obligation under international law that must be urgently respected, UN Human Rights Council, May 2025
• Framework for environmental social and human rights impact assessments and the right to a clean healthy and sustainable environment, Report of the Special Rapporteur Astrid Puentes Riano, 17 July 2025
• Briefing by Greenpeace, 2 March 2026
• Letter from GSR, 3 March 2026
• Open Letter from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, 9 March 2026
• Statement by Greenpeace International on Item 13, 16 March 2026