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HIGH-LEVEL REGIONAL WORKSHOP BOOSTS PARTICIPATION OF PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES IN DEEP-SEA ACTIVITIES TO ADVANCE BLUE ECONOMY
Governments officials and experts from Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS) as well as representatives from civil societies and NGOs convened at a regional workshop in Nuku’alofa, Kingdom of Tonga from 12 to 14 February, to strengthen national and regional capacities to access sustainably and benefit from seabed activities and therefore, from the Blue Economy. Organized by ISA in partnership with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), and hosted by the Kingdom of Tonga, the workshop provided a unique opportunity to discuss further the potential benefits associated with an increased participation of P-SIDS in deep sea related activities in the international seabed area.
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ISA-KOREA SIDE EVENT AT BBNJ2 HIGHLIGHTS ISA’S COMMITMENT TO PROTECT THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
United Nations Permanent Representatives, senior officials and legal and scientific experts attended a side-event at the Second Session of the Intergovernmental Conference for the conservation and sustainable development of marine diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) in New York on Tuesday 26 March dedicated to acknowledging ISA’s commitment protecting the marine environment over the last 25 years. Organized by ISA, in partnership with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, the side-event provided an opportunity to take stock of ISA’s contribution to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity of the seabed beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.
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MONACO PLEDGES SUPPORT OF € 20,000 FOR SG AWARD AND ENDOWMENT FUND
The Principality of Monaco has pledged extraordinary support to the programmes and initiatives of ISA that promote and encourage increased participation of developing countries in deep sea marine scientific research activities. More specifically, the € 20,000 grant announced on 27 February by Monaco will be allocated to the Secretary-General’s Award for Excellence in Deep Sea Research and to the Endowment Fund for Marine Scientific Research. Launched at the UN Ocean Conference in New York in June 2017, the Secretary-General’s Award for Excellence in Deep Sea Research (#OceanAction15796) aims at recognizing and encouraging the achievements of young researchers from developing countries who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge of the deep-sea environment, or to the development of environmentally sustainable regulatory frameworks. |
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WMU-ISA PARTNERSHIP STRENGTHENS MARINE SCIENCE TO ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
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The World Maritime University (WMU) and ISA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their cooperation with a view, among other things, to advance achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14. The focus is on improving education and capacity-building initiatives in marine science. Under the MoU, both organizations have agreed to develop collaborative research in the fields of ocean sustainability, ocean governance and SDG implementation to promote a deeper understanding of the ecosystem functions and services of the international deep seabed area, and the science-law-policy interface. Both parties will also foster research, training opportunities and other capacity-building initiatives and co-operate in the conduct of studies and in the delivery of conferences, seminars, workshops and joint publications on matters of common interest.
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OPEN-ENDED INFORMAL WORKING GROUP ADVANCES DISCUSSIONS ON FINANCIAL MODEL FOR MINERAL EXPLOITATION
An open ended informal working group consisting of representatives from Member States, civil society organizations and contractors, met at ISA Headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica from 21 to 22 February to advance discussions on the financial model for mineral exploitation in the international deep seabed area. Established by the ISA Council in July 2018, the working group was mandated to review the comparative study of alternative financial models prepared by experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During the two-day meeting, participants reviewed four models and found that, there were no major differences in their methodologies. In light of this, the Working Group agreed to propose to the Council that it continues to advance its discussions on the system of payments in July 2019 by examining the possible payment options.
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ISA/IOC-UNESCO SIDE EVENT AT BBNJ2 CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF ISA’S CONTRIBUTION TO ADVANCE MSR
A high-level side event organized by IOC/UNESCO and ISA at the Second Session of the BBNJ in New York on 2 April, recognized 25 years of ISA’s MSR in the international deep seabed area. Sponsored by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), the event brought together UN Permanent Representatives, senior officials and experts in ocean science to share lessons learned that can contribute to the implementation of the UN Decade on Ocean Science, and to discuss potential areas for strengthened scientific collaboration between ISA and IOC-UNESCO.
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PROPOSAL OF DRAFT EXPLOITATION REGULATIONS RELEASED BY ISA LEGAL AND TECHNICAL COMMISSION
A major step forward towards the delivery of a comprehensive legal regime for deep-seabed mining beyond national jurisdiction was made on 28 March with the release of draft regulations on exploitation of the mineral resources in the international seabed area by the Legal and Technical Commission, a 30-member expert advisory body of ISA. In light of new developments in science and technology, as well as changing economic circumstances, commercial interest in deep sea mining has grown rapidly in recent years. The development of exploitation regulations is therefore a critical element to regulate this emerging industry. The new draft exploitation regulations will build on the exploration regulations already in place by ensuring adherence to robust environmental standards, including baseline studies, environmental impact assessments, environmental monitoring and management.
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