Highlights and images for 26 July 2019

Highlights for Friday, 26 July 2019

On Friday, the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) finalized considerations of its agenda for its 25th session, adopting a set of guidelines for observer status of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the Authority. Many delegates hailed the adoption, stressing that the adopted guidelines are “modern and fit-for-purpose.” Others stressed that the process is evolutionary in nature and has to remain flexible to take into account future considerations, including a request for a legal opinion on whether there is a conflict of interest in the event that an application for observer status is formulated by a person accredited in a sitting delegation. The Assembly further addressed cooperation with other organizations; decided on the dates of its next session; addressed other matters, including changes in the staff regulations; and heard brief closing statements. Highlights of the day include the:

Many delegates expressed their satisfaction with the meeting’s results and emphasized the crucial role and achievements of the Authority. They also lauded the cordial atmosphere under which the negotiations took place. President Johnson Smith gaveled the meeting to a close at 12:05 pm.

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 2nd Part of ISA-25. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera

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Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President, gaveled the meeting to a close at 12:05pm

Malgorzata Wasilewska, European Union (EU)

Barbara Haley, Guyana

Pauline Mcharo and John Waita, Kenya

Stella Anukam, Nigeria

Teue Baikarawa, Kiribati

The dais during Friday’s proceedings

Godfrey Rolle, the Bahamas

Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, Deputy to the Secretary-General and ISA Legal Counsel

Faatasi Malologa, Tuvalu

Aletta Mondré, Kiel University, on behalf of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Rebecca Newsum, Greenpeace International

Philomène Verlaan, International Marine Minerals Society (IMMS)

Marcia Gilbert-Roberts, Jamaica, and Marzia Rovere, Italy

Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil

María Teresa Infante, Chile, and Secretary-General Michael Lodge

Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President, and Guy Sevrin, Belgium

Around the Venue

Tian Qi, China, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge

Delegates from Kiribati and Kenya

Delegates from China and Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President

Delegates taking a selfie at the end of the meeting

Marzia Rovere, Italy, reviewing the IISD Reporting Services website

L-R: Jason Dixon, Geraldine Geddes, Lestine Rose, and Lorenzo Lynch, Conference Services

ISA souvenirs outside the plenary room

The ENB team at the 2nd Part of ISA-25 (L-R) Tasha Goldberg, US; Asterios Tsioumanis, Greece; Nancy Williams, US; Tallash Kantai, Kenya/Uganda; Wang Yan, China; and Diego Noguera, Colombia