News: The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is still far from finalising rules for extracting coveted metals on the high seas even after two weeks of negotiations.
About International Seabed Authority (ISA)
- It is an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
- It is the organization through which States Parties to UNCLOS organize and control all mineral-resources-related activities in the Area for the benefit of humankind as a whole.
- The international seabed area – the part which is under ISA jurisdiction – is the seabed and ocean floor and the subsoil, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.
- The international seabed area represents around 50 % of the total area of the world’s oceans.
- Mandate: ISA has the mandate to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed-related activities.
- It works to promote and encourage the conduct of marine scientific research in the seabed area and coordinate and disseminate the results of such research and analysis.
- Governance: Two principal organs of ISA are –
- Assembly– Where all the members are represented and establishes the policies and govern the work of ISA.
- Council– A 37-member Council elected by the Assembly. It has two advisory bodies –
- Legal and Technical Commission (30 members), which advises the Council on all matters relating to the exploration and exploitation of non-living marine resources, such as polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulphides and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts,
- Finance Committee (15 members) that deals with budgetary and related matters.
- Headquarters: It has its headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.
- Members: All the States Parties to UNCLOS are ipso facto members of ISA.
- As of 2 September 2024, ISA has 170 Members, including 169 Member States and the European Union.
- India is a founding and active member of ISA.
