The 31st Session of the International Seabed Authority

• Item 1: Opening of the session.
• Item 2: Adoption of the agenda.
• Item 3: Election of the President.
• Item 4: Election of the Vice-Presidents.
• Item 11: Consideration, with a view to adoption, of the draft regulations on exploitation of mineral resources in the Area.

Presentation of the Further Revised Consolidated Text of the draft regulations on exploitation of mineral resources in the Area.

Presentation of the indicative list of outstanding issues and examination by the Council. (Pursuant to Council decision ISBA/30/C/18, paragraph 7.)

• Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.

Regulatory. Prevention of Corruption (Friends of the President, Netherlands). Draft regulations 40 – 1 hour.

Regulatory. Seabed Mining Register (Friends of the President, India). Draft regulations 92 – 1 hour.

Regulatory. Non-compliance Notice, Suspension and Termination of the Contract (Friends of the President, Netherlands). Draft regulation 103 – 1 hour.

Draft regulations 92.

• Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.
Environmental. Legal status of REMPs (Informal Working Group, Netherlands), Draft regulation 44bis (and draft regulations 7, 12, 14 and 15) – 1 hour.

Environmental. Environmental Goals and Objectives (Friends of the President, Germany). Draft regulation 44ter – 1 hour.

Environmental. Environmental Management and Monitoring (Informal Working Group, Norway). Draft regulations 49-52 – 1 hour.

• Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.

Environmental. Protection of Submarine Cables (Friends of the President, Singapore). Draft regulations 31 and 31 bis – 1 hour.

Environmental. Environmental Compensation Fund (Friends of the President, Mexico). Section 4 (draft regulation 54-56) – 1 hour.

Environmental. Closure Plans (Informal Working Group, Fiji). Draft regulations 59-61 and Annex VIII – 1 hour.

Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.

Financial. Financial System. Presentation on the fiscal model by IGF – 1 hour.

Financial. Equalization Measure (Informal Working Group, Australia). Draft regulation 64 bis and draft equalisation standard – 1 hour.

Financial. Payment system and Review of Payment Mechanism (Friends of the President, Canada). Draft regulations 81-82, Draft Standard and Guidelines and Schedule – 1 hour.

• Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.

Financial. Financial Incentives. Draft regulation 63.

Financial. Environmental Externalities in Royalty System Design. Draft regulation 64 ter.

Financial. Transfer Profit Share. Draft regulation 65 (and draft regulation 23, paragraph 6 bis).

Financial. Monopolization. Draft regulations 23, 107 and Schedule.

Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.
Financial. Payment system and Review of Payment Mechanism (Friends of the President, Canada). Draft regulations 81-82, Draft Standard and Guidelines and Schedule.

Financial. Monopolization. Draft regulations 23, 107 and Schedule.

Annexes.

Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.

Environmental. Test Mining and Pilot Mining (Informal Working Group, Belgium, China, Germany), Draft regulation 48ter (and draft regulations 7,11,12,13,46,48, 48 bis, Annex VII and Schedule) – 1.5 hours.

Governance. Underwater Cultural Heritage (Informal Working Group, Brazil, Greece, Micronesia). Draft regulations 35 and 35 Alt – 1.5 hours.

Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.

Regulatory. ICE Mechanism and Establishment of the Compliance Committee (Informal Working Group, Norway).

• Part XI and in particular draft regulation 95 bis.
• Draft decision of the Council on the Compliance Committee.
• Draft Rules of Procedure and draft Compliance Strategy for the Compliance Committee.

Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.

Regulatory. Chief Inspector, Inspectors and Inspections. Draft regulations 96-101.

Item 7: Report of the Secretary-General on the status of contracts for exploration and related matters, including information on the periodic review of the implementation of approved plans of work for exploration.

Item 13: Report of the Chair of the Legal and Technical Commission on the work of the Commission at the first part of its thirty-first session. – Preliminary considerations on Council decision ISBA/30/C/19.

Item 15: Report of the Secretary-General concerning the operationalization of the Economic Planning Commission.

• Draft decision of the Council on the election and establishment of the Economic Planning Commission.

Item 19: Report of the Secretary-General on the engagement and cooperation with BBNJ bodies and processes.

• Draft decision of the Council on engagement with bodies and processes under the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (ISBA/31/C/2 (AUV), Annex).

Informal meeting (continuation) on Chief Inspector, Inspectors and Inspections. Draft regulations 96ter-101

Informal meeting on Closure Plans (Informal Working Group, Fiji). Draft regulations 59-61 and Annex VIII.

Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text

Governance. Rights and Interests of Coastal States (Informal Working Group, Portugal, Singapore). Draft regulations 4, 4bis and 93bis – 1.5 hours.

Regulatory. Modification of a Plan of Work (Friends of the President, U.K.). Draft regulation 57 – 1.5 hours.

Informal meeting on ICE Mechanism and Establishment of the Compliance Committee (Informal Working Group facilitated by the Government of Norway)/

Item 19: Report of the Secretary-General on the engagement and cooperation with BBNJ bodies and processes (ISBA/31/C/2/Rev.1).

• Draft decision of the Council on engagement with bodies and processes under the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (ISBA/31/C/2/Rev.1, Annex).

Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text.

Annexes and Schedule.

Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text

Environmental. Conditions for beginning Exploitation of the Area. Draft regulation 2(3).

Environmental. Definition of “Incident” and “Notifiable Event”. Schedule.

Regulatory. Treatment of the Enterprise and of Joint Ventures. Draft regulation 19 and Schedule.

Regulatory. Parent Company Liability. Draft regulations 23, paragraph 5(d), 24, Annex XI and
Schedule.

Informal meeting. Effective Control (Informal Working Group, Chile, Costa Rica).

• Schedule and definition.
• Draft regulations 5-7, 13, 21, 24, 24bis, 40, Annex I.

• Item 5: Report of the Secretary-General on the credentials of members of the Council.
• Item 10: Consideration, with a view to approval, of applications for extension of a contract for exploration.

• • Interoceanmetal Joint Organization (ISBA/31/C/5, ISBA/31/C/L.2)
  • JSC Yuzhmorgeologiya (ISBA/31/C/6, ISBA/31/C/L.3).
  • Government of the Republic of Korea (ISBA/31/C/7, ISBA/31/C/L.4).
  • China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (ISBA/31/C/8,
    ISBA/31/C/L.5).
  • Deep Ocean Resources Development Co. Ltd (ISBA/31/C/9, ISBA/31/C/L.6).
  • Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer (ISBA/31/C/10, ISBA/31/C/L.7).

Item 11: Negotiations on the Further Revised Consolidated Text

Regulatory. Resources Covered by the Regulations. Preamble.

Regulatory. Confidential Information and Procedures to Ensure Confidentiality. Draft regulations 89-91.

Regulatory. Whistleblowing Protections. Draft regulation 101bis.

Regulatory. Review of the Regulations. Draft regulation 107.

Item 11: Consideration, with a view to adoption, of the draft regulations on exploitation of mineral resources in the Area.

• • Development of Standard and Guidelines.
  • Review of the progress on the draft regulations.
  • Agreement on necessary intersessional work.
• Adoption of draft decisions (as required).
• End of the first part of the thirty-first session.