EU Statement – United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea : Agenda item 9 - Information reported by the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority

Mr. President, 

The European Union and its Member States recognize the preeminent role of the International Seabed Authority established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea not only to organize, regulate and control all mineral related activities in the Area on behalf and for the benefit of all humankind, but also to ensure effective protection of the marine environment as well as of human life. 

The European Union and its Member States reiterate their commitment to continue contributing to the important work of the Authority in order to ensure, inter alia, the adequate protection and conservation of the natural resources of the Area, in view to administering the resources of the Area and the protection of the marine environment.  

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Michael Lodge, Secretary-General of the Authority, for the comprehensive annual report with a clear reference to the strategic directions of ISA as set out in the Strategic Plan 2019-2023, and more generally for the work of the Authority in these difficult and unexpected challenging times.  

Mr. President,  

The European Union and its Member States note with appreciation the swift, creative and result-oriented response by the Secretariat and by the members of the Legal and Technical Commission as well as the Finance Committee to the exceptional challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.   

In particular, we acknowledge the progress in the regulatory work of the Authority and welcome the first round of open consultations on the draft standards and guidelines which need to be in place by the time of adoption of the Regulations on exploitation of mineral resources in the Area. These are important steps towards achieving a reliable and comprehensive legal regime for deep-sea mining activities in the Area. We stress that this legal regime should ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects which may arise from mining activities, as required by the Convention. 

We note with appreciation that the Legal and Technical Commission managed to complete its agenda in remote meetings over the course of the year, including its work on the draft standards and guidelines for deep-sea mining operations as well as updating the guidance for contractors for the assessment of the possible environmental impacts arising from exploration for marine minerals in the Area.  

We also note the effort of the open-ended working group of the Council to address key outstanding issues of the legal regime being developed, including the financial model and payment mechanism for deep-sea mining, as well as the potential impact of mineral production from the Area on the economies of developing land-based producers. Among this work, we note in particular the commissioning and release of a major study on the potential economic impacts of mineral production from the Area.  

We would also like to express our appreciation for the expert scientific workshops organised by the Authority to support the work of the LTC in preparing their recommendations on the development of REMPs. We recall that prevention of damage to the environment is a key responsibility of the Authority under the Convention. We encourage further efforts and workshops to help achieve a better understanding of deepsea ecosystems, their connectivity and functions, in order to be able to be able to properly assess the effects of activities in the Area. 

Mr President, 

The European Union and its Member States note with satisfaction that ISA has officially joined the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) network to serve as a data node for the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) of IOCUNESCO, reinforcing its commitment to increase the dissemination, exchange and sharing of biological and environmental data and information.  

The European Union and its Member States commend ISA for the launch of the Action Plan for Marine Scientific Research in support of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, as well as for specific actions (workshop and a survey) undertaken in 2020 to build capacity of developing States. 

In conclusion, we would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our support for the work of the Authority in fulfilment of its mandate entrusted to it by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and by the Agreement relating to the implementation of Part XI of the Convention. We encourage all States Parties to contribute to and participate in its work. 

Thank you, Mr. President.