Highlights and images for 26 July 2019

Jamaica

  1. Negotiations
  2. International Seabed Authority
  3. 2nd Part of the 25th Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA)

Summary

Highlights for Friday, 26 July 2019

Family photo of delegates at the end of the 2nd Part of ISA-25

On Friday, the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) finalized considerations of its agenda for its 25th session, adopting a set of guidelines for observer status of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the Authority. Many delegates hailed the adoption, stressing that the adopted guidelines are “modern and fit-for-purpose.” Others stressed that the process is evolutionary in nature and has to remain flexible to take into account future considerations, including a request for a legal opinion on whether there is a conflict of interest in the event that an application for observer status is formulated by a person accredited in a sitting delegation. The Assembly further addressed cooperation with other organizations; decided on the dates of its next session; addressed other matters, including changes in the staff regulations; and heard brief closing statements. Highlights of the day include the:

  • adoption of the guidelines for observer status of NGOs with the ISA; and
  • signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Authority and the Ministry of Natural Resources of China on the establishment of a joint training and research center.

    • Many delegates expressed their satisfaction with the meeting’s results and emphasized the crucial role and achievements of the Authority. They also lauded the cordial atmosphere under which the negotiations took place. President Johnson Smith gaveled the meeting to a close at 12:05 pm.

    IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 2nd Part of ISA-25. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF.

    Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera

    For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page

    Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President, gaveled the meeting to a close at 12:05pm
    Malgorzata Wasilewska, European Union (EU)
    Barbara Haley, Guyana
    Pauline Mcharo and John Waita, Kenya
    Stella Anukam, Nigeria
    Teue Baikarawa, Kiribati
    The dais during Friday’s proceedings
    Godfrey Rolle, the Bahamas
    Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, Deputy to the Secretary-General and ISA Legal Counsel
    Faatasi Malologa, Tuvalu
    Aletta Mondré, Kiel University, on behalf of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
    Rebecca Newsum, Greenpeace International
    Philomène Verlaan, International Marine Minerals Society (IMMS)
    Marcia Gilbert-Roberts, Jamaica, and Marzia Rovere, Italy
    Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil
    María Teresa Infante, Chile, and Secretary-General Michael Lodge
    Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President, and Guy Sevrin, Belgium
    Around the Venue
    Tian Qi, China, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge
    Delegates from Kiribati and Kenya
    Delegates from China and Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President
    Delegates taking a selfie at the end of the meeting
    Marzia Rovere, Italy, reviewing the IISD Reporting Services website
    L-R: Jason Dixon, Geraldine Geddes, Lestine Rose, and Lorenzo Lynch, Conference Services
    ISA souvenirs outside the plenary room
    The ENB team at the 2nd Part of ISA-25 (L-R) Tasha Goldberg, US; Asterios Tsioumanis, Greece; Nancy Williams, US; Tallash Kantai, Kenya/Uganda; Wang Yan, China; and Diego Noguera, Colombia

    Participants

    Negotiating blocs
    European Union
    Non-state coalitions
    NGOs