NINTH SESSION OF SEABED AUTHORITY CONCLUDES IN KINGSTON

NINTH SESSION OF SEABED AUTHORITY CONCLUDES IN KINGSTON

(Reissued as received.)

KINGSTON, 7 August (ISA) -- The International Seabed Authority ended its ninth session in Kingston this morning after completing discussion on and taking note of the annual report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Authority.

The Assembly left open the dates for its next session at Kingston, in 2004.  After a discussion in which a number of delegates objected to a suggestion for 29 March to 8 April, Secretary-General Satya N. Nandan said he would consult on the matter with the United Nations Secretariat, which provides conference services for the Authority.

Before adjourning, the Assembly approved the report of its Credentials Committee, stating that 58 members had submitted credentials, formal or otherwise, regarding their attendance at the session.  The report (ISBA/9/A/6) was read out by the Committee Chairman, Helmut Tuerk (Austria).

Report of Secretary-General

Discussion on the annual report of the Secretary-General (ISBA/9/A/3), begun on Tuesday, 5 August, was completed today.  Delegates commented this morning on the means of financing the participation of developing-country members of the two Authority expert bodies, a plan to gather information on the level of seabed investment by countries, and the Authority’s role in regard to biodiversity.

Japan said it would accept, but only as a one-time solution, the decision by the Council and Assembly on 5 August authorizing an advance of up to $75,000 to a voluntary fund to help members from developing countries pay travel expenses for their attendance at the annual sessions of the Legal and Technical Commission and the Finance Committee.  However, Japan said it would be “improper” to use for this purpose the fees paid by pioneer seabed investors into a fund intended to pay for Authority costs in processing their contract applications.  Money in the fund not used for that purpose should be returned to the contributors, and travel costs for members should be defrayed from savings within the regular Authority budget.

The Netherlands asked about the intention of the secretariat to seek information from governments about the level of their investments in the seabed area, for use in next year’s election to the Council.  The representative said that, after discussions on the issue last year, it had been understood that the States concerned would determine the type of information that would be considered relevant.  In response, Secretary-General Nandan said the secretariat would request updated information on expenditures incurred, since the Assembly was required to establish lists of the various interest groups represented in the Council, in preparation for the election.

On the role of the Authority in regard to biodiversity in the deep-sea environment, the Netherlands, in an opinion shared by Germany, said it would be detrimental to the credibility of the Authority if it went beyond the mandate given it by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.  Mexico called for greater coordination among international organizations on the sharing of information related to mining of non-living resources and protection of the marine environment. Côte d’Ivoire hoped more support would be given to allow developing States to participate in workshops on biodiversity.

Regarding biodiversity, Mr. Nandan stated:  “Our purpose is not to deal with it in a comprehensive way; our purpose is to deal with it in a manner which would be of interest to the Authority” in regard to the regulation of deep-sea mining.  He added:  “We are not looking to control or manage or regulate marine scientific research.  We are not looking to licence bioprospectors or to deal with the patent rights of bioprospectors.”

On a concern raised by Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Nandan noted that all seven seabed contractors had submitted reports to the Authority this year as required by the Convention.

Dates for Next Session

With regard to the timing of the tenth session, the Secretary-General reported that the only feasible dates he had been able to confirm were 29 March to 8 April 2004, given that the Authority relied on conference services provided by the United Nations Secretariat in New York for interpretation and other facilities during the session.

A number of delegations expressed concerns about these dates.  Senegal pointed out that the Legal and Technical Commission would not have the opportunity to study the annual reports of contractors, due at the end of March.  Fiji brought up the matter of the scientific seminar to be organized by the secretariat, which did not now seem likely to take place before the next session.

At the request of Trinidad and Tobago, the Assembly suspended its meeting to allow members of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States to consult on the matter.  When the meeting resumed, that group agreed with others that the proposed date would not facilitate the work of the Legal and Technical Commission and suggested 15 April for the start of that body’s meetings, with the sessions of the Assembly and the Council to begin one week later.

Responding to requests from several members, the Secretary-General undertook to make every effort to negotiate more convenient dates for the 2004 session.

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