African Group

Group photo of delegates at the end of the 1st Part of ISA-26 On Friday, the Council of the International Seabed Authority convened for the final day of the first part of its 26th session (ISA-26) in Kingston, Jamaica, finalizing its work. Delegates adopted a decision relating to the working method to address the draft exploitation regulations, agreeing to establish three informal working groups to address different thematic areas. They also adopted a decision on a standardized approach for the development, approval, and review of Regional environmental management plans (REMPs) in the Area, requesting the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) to take into account the submissions tabled by Germany, the Netherlands, and Costa Rica on REMPs as they further develop the “Guidance to facilitate the development of REMPs,” currently under consideration by the Commission. The Council spent most of the day considering substantive matters, after a week dominated by procedural matters. For many, this was a welcome change as they delved back into the draft regulations, concluding a first reading of the sections on the protection and preservation of the marine environment, review and modification of a plan of work, and closure plans. In the afternoon, they also considered related annexes. In a brief statement on financial matters, ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge appealed for contributions to the Voluntary Trust Fund to support the work of the Financial Committee and the LTC, and for support for the Voluntary Trust Fund for the Enterprise.Highlights of the day included: the adoption of a decision on a standardized approach for REMPs; the adoption of a decision on the working method to guide work on the draft exploitation regulations; discussions on regulations related to the protection and preservation of the marine environment, the review and modification of a plan of work, and closure plans; and a discussion on an annex to the draft regulations on the elements of an environmental impact statement. Thanking delegates for their hard work, Acting Council President Kathy-Ann Brown (Jamaica) closed the meeting at 4:41 pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 1st Part of ISA-26. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has publish a summary and analysis report 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 Council recognized Ena Harvey, ISA Secretariat, on her last day of service. Coy Roache and Emmanuel Oguntuyi, Nigeria ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge Matthew Gianni, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) Clement Yow Mulalap, Federated States of Micronesia Tom Diederen, the Netherlands, and Margo Deiye, Nauru Robert Milbourne, Mining Standards International Chris Goldblatt, Fish Reef Project Claudia Maria Rezende de Souza and Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil Peter Espeut and Fredrik Hansen, Holy See Lowri Griffiths and Gavin Watson, UK Andrew Cong and Nicole Lyas, Australia Aliecia Taylor, Jamaica Hugo Verbist, Patrik Schotte, Joost Depaepe, and Steven Vandenborre, Belgium Laura Strickler and Greg O’Brien, US Urs Daniel Engels, Germany, and Tom Diederen, the Netherlands L-R: Craig Strong, Fiji; Maureen Penjueli, Pacific Network on Globalization (PANG); and Gene Bai, Fiji Félix García, Dominican Republic, and Francisco Javier Bernales Errázuriz, Chile L-R: Sellé Mbengue and Doudou Gueye Faye, Senegal, and Chris Goldblatt, Fish Reef Project Kenneth Wong, Canada, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge Carsten Rühlemann and Kurt Machetanz, Germany L-R: John Kurian, Vijay Kumar, and Ananda Ramadass, India The delegation from the Russian Federation Delegates from the African Group L-R: Charlotte Salpin, ISA Secretariat; ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge; Gwénaëlle Le Gurun, ISA Secretariat; and Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General Around the Venue Katie Elles, ISA Secretariat, interviews Michelle Walker, Jamaica (left), and Gerard Barron, DeepGreen (right) Members of the ISA Secretariat say farewell to Ena Harvey (center) on her last day of work. The ENB team at the 1st part of ISA-26 (L-R): Nancy Williams, US; Mari Luomi, Finland; Diego Noguera, Colombia; Kate Neville, Canada; Tallash Kantai, Uganda/Kenya/Scotland; and Nicole Schabus, Austria  

Delegates huddle informally in plenary. On Thursday, the Council of the International Seabed Authority convened for the third day of the first part of its 26th session (ISA-26) in Kingston, Jamaica. Delegates discussed issues relating to the election of members of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), adopting a decision to work intersessionally on a resolution of the issue, for a final decision on the LTC elections to be taken at the second part of ISA-26. They also engaged in informal consultations on the working method to address the draft exploitation regulations, facilitated by Kenneth Wong (Canada), agreeing to consider a decision on this matter on Friday, 21 February.Delegates also considered a draft decision on a standardized approach for the development, approval, and review of regional environmental management plans (REMPs) in the Area, agreeing to finalize the decision on the last day of the meeting.Thursday was a procedure-heavy day, with delegates working in informal groups and discussing sticking points in huddles around the conference center. Highlights of the day included: the conclusion of informal discussions related to the working method to address the draft exploitation regulations; the circulation of a draft decision related to REMPs; agreement on the way forward on issues related to the election of members of the LTC; an informal plenary session on draft exploitation regulations related to the protection and preservation of the marine environment. At lunch, a side event was organized by the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative addressing the importance of biological diversity to deep seabed mining management.For more details on the day’s events and to learn what delegates said in the breezeways, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 1st Part of ISA-26. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has publish a summary and analysis report 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 Kathy-Ann Brown, Jamaica, Acting Council President for ISA-26, consults with Urs Daniel Engels, Germany (left), and Tom Diederen, the Netherlands (right). Members of GRULAC and the African Group meet informally. Delegates from Italy, France, and Norway discuss draft decision documents on the election of members of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC). L-R: ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge, and Andrew Cong and Nicole Lyas, Australia L-R: Fredrik Hansen, Holy See; Tomasz Abramowski, Interoceanmetal Joint Organization; and Mateusz Damrat, Poland L-R: Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, and Juan José González Mijares and Anais Vivanco, Mexico L-R: Gina Guillén Grillo, Costa Rica, and Ingo Narberhaus and Hans-Peter Damian, Germany L-R: Tom Diederen, the Netherlands; Urs Daniel Engels, Germany; and Jihyun Lee, ISA Secretariat Deryck Murray, Trinidad and Tobago, and Diva Amon, Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) Vladislav Kurbatskiy, Russian Federation, and Nicole Schabus, ENB Delegates go through draft Council decision documents relating to the election of the LTC members. L-R: Juan José González Mijares, Mexico; Gina Guillén Grillo, Costa Rica; and Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil Jihyun Lee, ISA Secretariat, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge L-R: Andrew Cong, Australia; Rena Lee, Singapore; Nicole Lyas, Australia; and Kenneth Wong, Canada L-R: Corey McLachlan, DeepGreen; Philomène Verlaan, IMMS; and Erika Ilves, DeepGreen Council delegates during the afternoon session Solomon Korbieh, Ghana, speaking for the African Group Andrew Friedman, The Pew Charitable Trusts Hasan Abdullah Towhid, Bangladesh Coy Roache, Jamaica Philomène Verlaan, International Marine Minerals Society (IMMS) Kent Bressie and Graham Evans, International Cable Protection Committee Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge Duo Jiang and Jiang Jun, China, read the latest ENB. L-R: Jihyun Lee, ISA Secretariat, and Seongwook Park, SunHwa Kim, Young Gyu Lee, Seoyeon Cho, and Yeon Jee Suh, Republic of Korea L-R: Luke Tang, Rong Wang, and Rena Lee, Singapore; ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge; and Nathaniel Khng, Charine Yong, and Aaron Lee, Singapore Around the Venue Statue of Noel Nethersole, former Minister of Finance of Jamaica, with the ISA headquarters in the background.  

Luis del Solar, Argentina, outgoing Acting Council President, and Taaniela Kula, Tonga, Council President for the 26th session On Monday, the first part of the 26th session of the Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) opened in Kingston, Jamaica. After a halting start, Council members elected Taaniela Kula, Tonga, as President of ISA-26, before delving into discussions on key issues. The big discussion of the day centered around the composition and size of the Authority’s Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), an issue that has been controversial in the past. In plenary and in informal deliberations, views diverged on the role and importance of geographical representation vis-à-vis expertise, with many noting the need to balance the two. Others stressed that regional balance engenders trust and that the LTC should remain a body in which parties have confidence. Discussions on this issue will continue later in the week.Highlights of the day included: the election of the ISA-26 bureau, comprising Nigeria, for the African Group; the Russian Federation, for the Eastern European Group; Jamaica, for the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC); and Canada, for the Western Europe and Others Group; formal and informal discussions relating to two proposals on the composition and size of the ISA’s LTC; the election of Carsten Rühlemann (Germany) to fill a vacancy on the LTC; comments on the implementation of the Council decision on the reports of the LTC Chair; and a report on the recently concluded meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group addressing the financial model related to the sharing of benefits of the exploitation of the Area. At lunchtime, a side event was organized by Office of Environmental Management and Mineral Resources (OEMMR) of the ISA on the results of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and Evora Workshops related to the review and development of Regional Environmental Management Plans in the Area.For more details on the day’s events and to learn what delegates said in the breezeways, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 1st Part of ISA-26. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has publish a summary and analysis report 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 Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge congratulates Luis del Solar, Argentina, for his work as Acting Council President for the 26th session Gavin Watson, UK Taaniela Kula, Tonga, Council President for the 26th session Janet Omoleegho Olisa, Nigeria Urs Daniel Engels, Germany Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil Gina Guillén Grillo, Costa Rica Hugo Verbist, Belgium The Council during Monday’s proceedings Vijay Kumar, India Kathy-Ann Brown, Jamaica Esther Salamanca Aguado and Josep María Bosch Bessa, Spain Emilio Lasford Douglas, Panama Jiang Jun, China Diva Amon, Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) Megan Jungwiwattanaporn, The Pew Charitable Trusts L-R: Taaniela Kula, Tonga, Council President for the 26th session; Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General; and Charlotte Salpin and Marie Bourrel-McKinnon, ISA Secretariat Representatives from the Holy See and Italy confer. Around the Venue L-R: Gavin Watson and Lowri Mai Griffiths, UK, and Rena Lee, Singapore Jim Gray, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Kate Neville, ENB Philomène Verlaan, International Marine Minerals Society (IMMS), and Kenneth Wong, Canada Francisco Javier Bernales Errázuriz, Chile, and Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil A view from the venue