2nd Part of the 31st Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority

The work of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is more significant than ever and attracts increasing international attention. Mandated to develop a regulatory framework that will govern the commercial exploitation of deep-sea minerals in the Area (the seabed and ocean floor and the subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction), the ISA needs to balance competing pressures to either accelerate or delay deep-sea mining activities. 

On the one hand, some companies and ISA members have expressed interest in commercial deep-sea mining and urge for the timely development of a robust framework that can mitigate negative consequences. Pressure to expedite the development of the exploitation regulations also stems from outside the Authority’s framework. The Metals Company USA applied for an exploration license and a commercial recovery permit for polymetallic nodules in international waters of the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean under the US Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act.

Some ISA members emphasize that the ISA represents the international rule of law and multilateral cooperation, stressing that any unilateral actions add uncertainty and may lead to: regulatory chaos over overlapping claims; a race to the bottom on environmental and other standards; and direct conflict with the principle of the common heritage of humankind. 

On the other hand, an increasing number of countries, 42 to date, have expressed support for a moratorium, precautionary pause, or ban on deep-sea mining. Pointing to potentially hideous, irreversible impacts to the marine environment leading to biodiversity loss and habitat destruction, they underscore the need to fully understand and incorporate all environmental and socioeconomic risks for informed decision-making. They emphasize that, given limited knowledge and scientific uncertainties, protecting the marine environment and long-term human well-being is not compatible with rushing the development of the exploitation regulations and the accompanying set of standards and guidelines to support their implementation.

Managing these competing interests, the ISA continues its negotiations on the draft exploitation regulations. Following the working modus operandi of the first and second parts of the 30th annual session and the first part of the 31st, discussions will be structured thematically on:

• environmental matters;
• financial matters;
• regulatory, procedural, and institutional matters; and
• governance matters.

Many outstanding issues have been the focus of significant intersessional work in informal working groups and Friends of the President groups. Delegates will address informal working groups’ reports and discuss textual proposals on:

• effective control, which addresses the relationship between a sponsoring state and a non-state contractor;
• the inspection, compliance, and enforcement mechanism;
• rights and interests of coastal states;
• underwater cultural heritage;
• environmental management and monitoring;
• test mining;
• the closure plan following exploitation activities; and
• regional environmental management plans.

Discussions will also focus on the outcomes of deliberations in the Friends of the President groups on:

• submarine cable protection;
• the payment mechanism and its review;
• modifications on a plan of work by a contractor;
• the environmental compensation fund;
• the seabed mining register;
• prevention of corruption;
• environmental goals and objectives;
• non-compliance notice, suspension, and termination of exploitation contract;
• monopolization; and
• review of the regulations. 

The second part of the 31st ISA session includes meetings of the Council (13-24 July 2026) and the Assembly (27-31 July 2026). The Council will continue its technical work on the exploitation regulations. The Assembly, as the supreme plenary ISA organ, will examine reports from other bodies, notably the annual report by the ISA Secretary-General, perform its budgetary, administrative, and oversight functions, and establish the general ISA policies. 

These meetings will be preceded by the Legal and Technical Commission (29 June-10 July 2026) and the Finance Committee (7-10 July 2026). All meetings will take place in ISA headquarters, in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writers for this meeting are Asterios Tsioumanis, Ph.D.; Deborah Davenport, Ph.D.; and María Ovalle. The Digital Editor is Andrés Carvajal. The Editor is Pam Chasek, Ph.D.