Key points
- The workshop was organized by the International Seabed Authority, the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
- Sessions focused on guidelines and process and performance standards to accompany the Regulations on Exploitation of Mineral Resources in the Area.
- UNCLOS Annex III, Article 17(1)(b)(xii) requires the Authority to incorporate mining standards and practices covering operational safety, resource conservation and marine environment protection.
- Over the three-day event, participants discussed the priority of guidelines and standards, reference source material, mandatory versus recommendatory indicators, and the development process, targeting deliverables required by the Legal and Technical Commission.
Pretoria (South Africa) The IOM representative dr Kamila Mianowicz took part in a multi-stakeholder workshop organized by the International Seabed Authority, the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Pretoria, South Africa (13-15.05.2019).
Presentations, panel discussions and workshop sessions focused on guidelines and process and performance standards that are intended to accompany the Regulations on Exploitation of Mineral Resources in the Area and to be an important operational part of the Mining Code that is being developed by the Authority in order to fulfill the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) requirement of regulating the mining activity in the areas beyond national jurisdiction.
According to UNCLOS, the Authority shall incorporate “mining standards and practices, including those relating to operational safety, conservation of the resources and the protection of the marine environment” [LOSC, Annex III, Art. 17(1)(b)(xii)]. Over the 3-day workshop, the working sessions and facilitated panel discussions targeted at deliverables required by the Legal and Technical Commission in order to advance works on the guidelines and standards (G&S). Participants discussed e.g. the priority of G&S listed in the Regulations, existing resources that may constitute a reference or source material for G&S, indicators of mandatory vs. recommendatory character of G&S and process for development of G&S.
