Highlights and images for 20 February 2020

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

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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.