Taskforce on Ocean Governance

2nd Part of the 24th Session of the International Seabed Authority

Great summaries of the meeting by IISD/ENB: http://enb.iisd.org/oceans/isa/2018-2/  and a “curtain raiser” at http://enb.iisd.org/vol25/enb25159e.html

The second part of the 24th Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) will be held from 16-20 July 2018 for the Council, and from 23-27 July for the Assembly in Kingston, Jamaica. These meetings will be preceded by a meeting of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) (2-13 July) and of the Finance Committee (9-12 July).

Expectations for the Meeting

The ISA Council is expected to consider:

  • draft regulations on deep-seabed mining;
  • the 2018 report of the LTC;
  • the proposed budget for 2019-2020; and
  • the report of the Finance Committee.

The main items on the agenda of the Assembly are:

  • the ISA strategic plan for 2019–2023;
  • the annual report of the Secretary-General;
  • the proposed budget for 2019-2020; and
  • the recommendations of the Finance Committee, including on benefit-sharing rules, regulations and procedures.

Origins of the International Seabed Authority

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which entered into force on 16 November 1994, sets forth the rights and obligations of states regarding the use of the oceans, their resources, and the protection of the marine and coastal environment. UNCLOS established that “the Area” and its resources are the common heritage of humankind. “The Area” is defined as the seabed and subsoil beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, and its “resources” as all solid, liquid, or gaseous mineral resources in situ in the Area at or beneath the seabed, including polymetallic nodules.

Under the common heritage regime, UNCLOS provides that: no state can claim or exercise sovereignty or sovereign rights over any part of the Area or its resources; activities in the Area must be carried out for the benefit of humankind as a whole, irrespective of the geographical location of states, taking into particular consideration developing states’ interests and needs; the Area and its resources are open to use exclusively for peaceful purposes by all states, whether coastal or land-locked, without discrimination; and financial and other economic benefits derived from activities in the Area must be equitably shared, on a non-discriminatory basis.

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