African Group

Highlights for Monday, 11 March 2019 A moment of silence in memory of the people lost after the Ethiopian Airlines 302 crash. The fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) opened in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday. Delegates established a Committee of the Whole (COW), which convened in the afternoon to continue negotiations on draft resolutions that had not been agreed by the end of the fourth Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-4).Opening the Assembly, UNEA-4 President Siim Valmar Kiisler (Estonia) invited delegates to observe a minute of silence in honor of the 157 people who perished in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on Sunday, while en route to Nairobi.The meeting established two working groups and three contact groups to complete negotiation of all outstanding resolutions that had not been finalized at the OECPR the previous week, and delegates proceeded to continue their discussions on issues including sustainable consumption and production (SCP), deforestation, biodiversity, gender equality, deforestation, and marine litter and microplastics.Key highlights: A keynote address by Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Forestry and the Environment, Kenya, describing Kenya’s various initiatives to move towards a more sustainable economy, including efforts to eliminate single-use plastics; An address by Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, marking the 30th anniversary of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal; Agreement on a draft resolution on rangelands and pastoralism, proposed by the African Group; and Discussion on improving work processes around the organization of future UNEA conferences. For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from OECPR-4 and UNEA-4, which is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Plenary Session View of the dais during the opening session UNEA-4 President Siim Valmar Kiisler, Estonia Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kenya Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Fekadu Beyene, Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Ethiopia Ion Cimpeanu, State Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Romania Mariela Chervin, Argentina Ambassador Saleh Sulaiman Al-Harthi, Oman Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP, and UNEA-4 President Siim Valmar Kiisler, Estonia OECPR-4 Chair Francisca Ashietey-Odunton, Ghana Giovanni Brunelli and Paolo Soprano, Italy Khawla Al-Muhannadi, speaking on behalf of the Major Groups and other Stakeholders Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP, Ellyanne Chlystun-Githae, Children With Nature, and Elizabeth Taylor, Colombia UNEA-4 President Siim Valmar Kiisler, Estonia, Erik Grigoryan, Minister, Ministry of Nature Protection, Armenia, and Committee of the Whole (COW) Chair Fernando Coimbra, Brazil Committee of the Whole View of the dais during the Committee of the Whole Lori Dando, US Agus Justianto, Indonesia Elizabeth Taylor, Colombia Erik Lundberg, Finland Working Groups and Contact Groups Contact Group 1 Co-Chairs consulting with the secretariat in Working Group 1 Delegates in Contact Group 2 during negotiations Abdelmoneim Mabrouk, Sudan, during deliberations with Noluzuko Gwayi, South Africa Contact Group 2 Chair Martin Gronda, Argentina Erasmo Martínez, Mexico, and Nathan Ndoboli, Uganda, during negotiations in Contact Group 3 Working Group 2 during negotiations Around the Venue

Highlights for Friday, 1 March 2019 Group photo of delegates at the end of the meeting On Friday, the Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) addressed outstanding issues related to the Enterprise, in particular a draft decision on the extension of the term and the expansion of the mandate of the Special Representative for the Enterprise. Delegates further discussed establishing a voluntary trust fund for the purpose of providing the requisite relevant funds for the Special Representative’s work.Highlights of the day include: agreement to extend the time frame for the negotiation of the draft proposal to form a joint venture with Poland; agreement to extend the contract and renew the terms of reference of the Special Representative, accompanied by the establishment of a voluntary trust fund to provide the requisite funds; and recognition that the perspective of the Enterprise should be taken into account in the development of the exploitation regulations. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 1st Part of ISA-25. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis report of the meeting, which is 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 The 1st Part of ISA-25 meets for its last day Patricio Ureña Palacio, Argentina Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Nicole Lyas and David Yardley, Australia Delegates during an informal meeting Maruthadu Sudhakar, India Major Tano Koffi Bertin, Côte d’Ivoire Conn Nugent, Pew Charitable Trusts Lowri Mai Griffiths and Gavin Watson, UK Kathy Ann Brown, Jamaica Francisco Javier Bernales (right), Chile, addresses the Council Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, and David Yardley, Australia, shake hands after adoption of the document on extending the contract for the Special Representative and on the time frame for the negotiation of the draft proposal for a joint venture with Poland. Lumka Yengeni, South Africa, Council President for the 25th Session; Thembile Joyini, South Africa; and Gwénaëlle Le Gurun, ISA Secretariat Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General, and Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, respond to a delegate’s observations. Graham Leung and Corey McLachlan, DeepGreen Chin Siew Fei, Singapore, and Hu Bing, China Wini Broadbelt and Tom Diederen, the Netherlands, interact with Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General Ernesto Malda, Mexico, and Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, Poland Kristina Gjerde, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Aline Jaeckel, Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI); and Rose Lesley Kautoke, Tonga Delegates consult informally Victoria García Ojeda and Esther Salamanca Aguado, Spain L-R: Aline Jaeckel, DOSI; Kristina Gjerde, IUCN; and Jessica Perelman, DOSI The delegation from Singapore The delegation from Brazil The delegation from Nigeria Around the Venue A view over New Kingston from the venue The ENB team at the 1st Part of ISA-25 (L-R): Asterios Tsioumanis, Greece; Nancy Williams, US; Priscila Pereira de Andrade, Brazil; Teya Penniman, US; Diego Noguera, Colombia; and Nicole de Paula, Brazil The ENB team at the 1st Part of ISA-25 (L-R) Asterios Tsioumanis, Greece; Nancy Williams, US; Priscila Pereira de Andrade, Brazil; Teya Penniman, US; Diego Noguera, Colombia; and Nicole de Paula, Brazil

Highlights for Thursday, 28 February 2019 The Council during Thursday’s proceedings On Thursday, the Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) focused on issues related to the Enterprise, an organ foreseen in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as ISA’s own mining arm. Delegates discussed the operationalization of the Enterprise, a joint venture proposal with the Government of Poland, and a draft decision on the terms of reference for the Special Representative for the Enterprise.Highlights of the day include: exchange of ideas on operationalizing the Enterprise, which many delegates see as an important manifestation of the common heritage principle; an initial discussion on a draft proposal for a joint venture between the ISA and Poland, with a view to have on the agenda a full proposal for consideration at the next Council session, in July 2019; deliberations on developing a set of rules and regulations that will govern future joint ventures; insights from Eden Charles (Trinidad and Tobago), Special Representative for the Enterprise; and extensive negotiations on the terms of reference for the renewal of the term of the Special Representative. For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 1st Part of ISA-25. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis report of the meeting, which is 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 Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General, and Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, consult during plenary Eden Charles, Trinidad and Tobago, Special Representative for the Enterprise Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil, on behalf of GRULAC Tomasz Grysa, Holy See Victoria García Ojeda, Spain Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, Poland Tommo Monthe, Cameroon Lumka Yengeni, South Africa, Council President for the 25th Session Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Guy Sevrin and Patrik Schotte, Belgium Tevita Suka Mangisi, Tonga Didier Ortolland, France Russell Howorth and Malakai Finau, Fiji Graham Leung, Nauru Duncan Currie, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) Discussions among German delegates Major Tano Koffi Bertin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Tommo Monthe, Cameroon Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, confers with Michelle Walker, Jamaica Lowri Mai Griffiths, UK; Rena Lee, Singapore; and Kenneth Wong, Canada L-R: Gwénaëlle Le Gurun, ISA Secretariat; Thembile Joyini, South Africa; Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General; and Eden Charles, Trinidad and Tobago, Special Representative for the Enterprise Delegates discuss the draft decision on the Special Representative for the Enterprise Tomasz Grysa, Holy See, and Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General Esther Salamanca Aguado and Victoria García Ojeda, Spain, and Aline Jaeckel, Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) Delegates during an informal meeting Laurens J. de Jonge, Wini Broadbelt, and Tom Diederen, the Netherlands Maruthadu Sudhakar and G. Ananda Ramadass, India Tevita Suka Mangisi, Rose Lesley Kautoke, Yumi Nafe, and Siosiua ‘Utoikamanu, Tonga ISA Secretariat staff celebrates the International Women’s Day Around the Venue A view from the venue as the sun goes down The ENB team at the 1st Part of ISA-25 (L-R) Asterios Tsioumanis, Greece; Nancy Williams, US; Priscila Pereira de Andrade, Brazil; Teya Penniman, US; Diego Noguera, Colombia; and Nicole de Paula, Brazil

Highlights for Monday, 25 February 2019 Lumka Yengeni, South Africa, is congratulated by Olav Myklebust for her election as the ISA Council President for 2019. On Monday, the Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) opened for the first part of the 25th annual session in Kingston, Jamaica.The Council elected its President and Vice-Presidents for 2019, addressed organizational matters, and heard reports on the status of exploration contracts, the implementation of the 2018 Council decision relating to the summary report of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) Chair and a strategy for the development of regional environmental management plans for the Area.The Council also considered components of the draft regulations for exploitation of mineral resources in the Area, focusing on the financial model, as well as on standards, guidelines, and key terms.Highlights of the day include: election of Lumka Yengeni (South Africa) as Council President for 2019; final steps towards the public launch of the database; development of a work programme for the period 2019–2020 to implement the preliminary strategy for the development of regional environmental management plans; progress towards developing common understanding on the financial model, notwithstanding varying opinions, and a decision to continue work under the relevant working group; and the need to prioritize certain guidelines and balance certainty for industry against flexibility to keep pace with expanding knowledge. Two side events took place during the day, organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI).For extensive details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 1st Part of ISA-25. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis report of the meeting, which is 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 The 1st Part of the 25th Annual Session of the ISA opens at the ISA headquarters in Kingston Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General Olav Myklebust, Outgoing Council President for the 24th Session Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Lumka Yengeni, South Africa, Council President for the 25th Session The dais during plenary Lowri Mai Griffiths and Gavin Watson, UK Vladimir Vinokurov, Russian Federation Tian Qi, China Young Lee, Republic of Korea Tevita Suka Mangisi, Tonga Tetsuya Yoshimoto, Japan Urs Daniel Engels, Germany Diva Amon, Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative Chin Siew Fei, Singapore Duncan Currie, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition Michelle Walker, Jamaica Conn Nugent, Pew Charitable Trusts Enrico Milano, Italy Patricio Ureña Palacio, Argentina Conn Nugent, Pew Charitable Trusts, in discussions with the Chinese delegation Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, Poland, and Olav Myklebust, Norway L-R: Denys Wibaux, France; Guy Sevrin, Belgium; and Didier Ortolland, France Marie Bourrel-McKinnon, ISA Secretariat, and Alison Swaddling, The Commonwealth Lowri Mai Griffiths, UK, and Julian Wilckens, Germany L-R: Nicole Lyas, Australia; Jennifer Warren, Lockheed Martin; and David Yardley, Australia, share a laugh before the start of the session. Nicole de Paula, ENB, and Kenneth Wong, Canada Delegates consult informally Around the Venue The Chinese delegation with Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General The Japanese delegation The Brazilian delegation