Celebration of 40th anniversary of UNCLOS

ISA Secretary-General joins high-level commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to mark the 40th anniversary of the adoption of UNCLOS

On 29 April 2022, the Secretary-General of ISA, H.E. Mr. Michael W. Lodge, joined Members of the United Nations and senior representatives of the United Nations Secretariat, the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the adoption of UNCLOS.
 

As ISA & the international community celebrate 40 years since the adoption of UNCLOS, let’s hear from our Members on the main achievements of this unique treaty: H.E. Mr. Viliami Va'inga Tone of Tonga.

Nominations for the 2022 Edition of the ISA Secretary-General’s Award for Excellence in Deep-Sea Research are open until 3 June 2022

Launched at the ISA Assembly in July 2018, the Award recognizes and encourages 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 the development of environmentally sustainable regulatory frameworks. This unique initiative has been supported by Monaco since 2018, and NORI and TOML since 2020. The awardee will receive a cash prize of USD4,000 and other benefits. The awardee will also have the opportunity to participate in a joint NORI-TOML environmental and exploration campaign in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean in 2022 or 2023.

April highlights

 Governance

ISA Council concludes Part I of its 27th session

The first part of the 27th session of the Council of ISA closed on 1 April 2022 after ten days of meetings held in Kingston, Jamaica. All 36 Members of the Council attended the session in person or virtually; other Members and 15 Observers were also in attendance.

 PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Draft regional environmental management plan for the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge open for consultation until 3 June

ISA is seeking comments on the draft regional environmental management plan for the area of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge with a focus on polymetallic sulphide deposits.

 Capacity development & training

ISA hosts the first virtual end-of-training certificate presentation ceremony with beneficiaries of the Contractors’ Training Programme

On 31 March 2022, the Secretariat of ISA hosted the first-ever ceremony to present the end-of-training certificates to 29 nationals from 20 developing States who benefitted from opportunities provided by ISA Contractors under the Contractors’ Training Programme in 2021 and 2022.

The call for nomination of participants in the first training workshop of the ISA-China Joint Training and Research Centre has been extended until 6 May 2022

ISA and the Ministry of Natural Resources of China announced the first training workshop organized by the ISA-China Joint Training and Research Centre to be held between 24 and 27 May 2022. The workshop will contribute to enhancing the capacity of national experts from developing States Members of ISA, especially professionals from least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.

Meet Mr. Gerald Mwila, ADSR Expert, from Zambia

 Women empowerment and leadership

The call for expressions of interest in the ISA Women in the Law of the Sea Conference is now closed

As part of ISA's celebrations of UNCLOS 40, ISA will be organizing a three-day conference on Women in the Law of the Sea in June 2022. The conference will feature women from developing States who have made an impact in the scientific community. The official date of the conference will be announced later. A selection committee is currently reviewing the proposals received. Selected candidates will be informed of the outcomes by the end of April 2022.

Outreach

ISA World Oceans Day Art Competitions 2022

ISA is hosting two art competitions to celebrate the deep sea, marine scientific research and exploration. The competitions on the theme "deep-sea exploration” are open until 16 May 2022. The winners will be announced on World Oceans Day, on 8 June 2022, during a special event held in Kingston, Jamaica.

Opportunities

Publications