The 26^th Session of the ISA Assembly was declared open today by the President of the 25^th Session, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, who also submitted to all members of ISA a draft decision on the procedure for adoption of decisions by the Assembly through a silence procedure, similar to the process adopted by the 30^th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Rear Admiral Alam of Bangladesh has been elected as President of the 26th Session of the Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The election by Council members formally took effect on 1 October 2020, through a silence procedure similar to the process adopted by the 30th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The ‘Deep-Sea Taxonomic Standardization,’ workshop organized by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea (MOF), and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK), opened today with a key focus on developing strategic approaches for collaboration to improve the standardization of deep-sea taxonomic information, and strengthen collective scientific knowledge of deep-sea biodiversity. 

The newly appointed Permanent Representatives of Bangladesh, Japan, and Korea to the International Seabed Authority (ISA), presented their credentials to ISA Secretary-General Mr. Michael W. Lodge at a series of virtual and in-person ceremonies held in Kingston, Jamaica, this week.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is pleased to announce the release of its most recent publication listed below issued between June and August 2020.

The 26^th Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), closed today, after 4-weeks of online meetings held remotely for the first time from 6 to 31 July 2020.