'CRITICAL' FINANCIAL SITUATION CITED IN ASSEMBLY OF SEABED AUTHORITY; JAMAICAN OFFER ON HEADQUARTERS ANNOUNCED
Press Release
SEA/1576
'CRITICAL' FINANCIAL SITUATION CITED IN ASSEMBLY OF SEABED AUTHORITY; JAMAICAN OFFER ON HEADQUARTERS ANNOUNCED
19980318 (Received from the International Seabed Authority.)KINGSTON, 17 March -- The outgoing President of the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority, S. Amos Wako (Kenya), opened this afternoon's meeting with a strong appeal to all member States to pay their assessed contributions to the Authority as a matter of urgency, in view of the "critical" financial situation it faced.
Of the $4.7 million budget for 1998 approved during last August's session, only $892,466 had been received, from 25 of the 137 members, he reported. With fixed costs running at about $250,000 a month, more than $1,305,000, including conference costs, had already been incurred between January and March. He reminded the members that, as of January, the Authority was entirely dependent on these assessed contributions for all its administrative and substantive functions, as it was no longer being financed by the United Nations.
"This is a very serious and urgent matter", he warned, "and unless payments are made by members it will not even be possible to convene the next meeting in August. I believe that, having come this far, members of the Authority would not wish to see that all their efforts give birth to a stillborn. We cannot allow the Authority to collapse now or even in the future. I therefore strongly appeal to unpaid members to pay their assessed contributions as soon as possible."
Secretary-General Satya N. Nandan read out a letter dated 10 March from the Government of Jamaica offering to the Authority the premises it currently rents on Port Royal Street in downtown Kingston, for permanent use and occupation as its headquarters. The letter stated that the building would be made available to the authority rent-free. "The Government will undertake a certain amount of refurbishing to the building in order to improve its condition", the text adds. "The Authority will be responsible for all costs associated with the maintenance of the building." Separate arrangements would continue for use of the Jamaica Conference Center for meetings.
Mr. Nandan asked the Assembly for time to assess the cost of any needed repairs and to estimate maintenance expenses, and to seek clarification of some other aspects of the offer before completing his report in time for the August part of this session.
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Also this afternoon, the Assembly, by acclamation, elected Tadeusz Bachleda-Curus (Poland) as its President for the 1998 session. Mr. Bachleda-Curu is Vice-Secretary and Principal Geologist of the State in the Ministry of Environment Protection, Resources and Forestry of Poland.
The new President said he was convinced that good progress would be made towards establishing the legal position of the Authority and the future of exploration and exploitation of seabed resources, with a view to final adoption of a mining code.
The Assembly also elected three of its four Vice-Presidents. Kuwait continues in the vice-presidency, while Mexico and the Netherlands were chosen on the basis of nominations by their regional groups. The African Group requested more time for consultations. There will be no Vice-President from the Eastern European Group, as the President comes from that group.
In other matters, the Assembly elected Walid Doudech (Tunisia) as a member of the Finance Committee, replacing his compatriot, Samia Ladgham, who resigned from the Committee with effect from 15 December 1997.
Elections to fill vacancies on the Council and to establish the nine-member Credentials Committee for the 1998 session were postponed as discussions were still taking place on those matters.
The Assembly will meet again on Thursday, 26 March.
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