Kochi, New Delhi and Chennai, India (7 – 9 September 2026) – A year after my first mission to India, it was a great pleasure to return to a country with a longstanding commitment to the International Seabed Authority and to governance, science, technology and exploration of deep-sea mineral resources.
My first engagement on 7 September 2026 was the opening of the Deep-Sea Macrofauna Taxonomy School. In Kochi, a port city in the Southwest of India, I greeted 25 specialists from 13 developing countries across the Indian Ocean region attending this important training programme.
It was inspiring to be in a room filled with the next generation of experts in biodiversity assessment knowing that they would spend the week advancing their knowledge of the deep ocean. As I emphasized, the effective protection and management of the marine environment begins with knowledge. Only by understanding the extraordinary diversity of life it contains can we truly conserve the deep ocean. And for the International Seabed Authority, this is a fundamental requirement for responsible ocean governance.
Cooperation to strengthen global capacity in deep-sea taxonomy is not new: for the past six years, the International Seabed Authority, the Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK), have organized annual workshops on taxonomic standardization. Since 2020, more than 300 experts on deep-sea taxonomy from over 60 countries have benefited from these trainings.
I am confident that the workshop in Kochi was essential to strengthen regional cooperation and contribute to our shared goal of responsible and science-based ocean governance.
While in Kochi, I had the opportunity to visit the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMRLE), where I was welcomed by its head, R. Mahesh Kumar. I personally thank Mr. Kumar, CMRLE, and its scientists for their partnership in jointly organizing the Deep-sea Macrofauna Taxonomy School.
At CMRLE, I learned about its approach to specimen identification, reference collections and biodiversity data management, noting that India will be a key partner in advancing ISA´s Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative (SSKI) in the Indian Ocean. I also expressed to Mr. Kumar our interest in identifying areas of mutual scientific interest and how CMRLE could further support ISA’s flagship initiatives under the Marine Scientific Research (MSR) Action Plan. Potential areas of cooperation may include taxonomy, biodiversity assessment, environmental baselines, data management and capacity development.
From Kochi, I flew to New Delhi for a high-level engagement with the Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences of the Government of India, H.E. Dr. Jitendra Singh.
India has been an active participant of the regulatory discussion on the Mining Codewith longstanding institutional, scientific and technological leadership within ISA – the latest through three contracts for exploration of marine mineral resources in the Indian Ocean: one for polymetallic nodules signed with ISA in 2002 and the first and only country to hold two contracts for exploration of polymetallic sulphides, signed in 2016 and 2025. India’s scientific institutions and its experience as an ISA contractor can contribute to the collective knowledge available to Member States.
I also took the opportunity to highlight with the Minister the significant progress made by the ISA Council on the draft exploitation regulations under the leadership of H.E. Mr. Mayank Joshi, a national from India and president of the 31st Session of the Council; including the request by Member States for the Secretariat to develop a roadmap with milestones for the timely adoption of the rules and regulations for consideration at the first part of the 32nd Session, and to provide an advanced negotiating text, harmonizing and streamlining the Further Revised Consolidated Text and taking into account discussions and outcomes achieved during the 31st Session.
In New Delhi, I also attended the Industry Outreach Workshop on Deep-Sea Mining. My lecture focused on the global regulatory framework. I am deeply grateful to the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) for giving me the floor to speak about the future of the deep-sea mining industry: one that must be considered through a lens of regulation, technology and investment – not alone, but together.
I had the opportunity to explain to participants that ISA Member States are working to deliver a Mining Code that is legally certain, environmentally responsible, economically viable, and capable of being implemented in practice. A Code that addresses environmental management and monitoring, inspection, compliance and enforcement, financial terms and benefit-sharing, coastal State interests, emergency response, closure, transparency and the necessary institutional arrangements.
India’s long-standing engagement with ISA, its scientific capabilities and its direct experience as a contractor place it in a strong position to contribute to the ongoing work.
Another highlight of my time in New Delhi was being welcomed by H.E. Ambassador Sibi George, Secretary (West) of the Ministry of External Affairs of India. I reaffirmed to H.E. the importance that ISA attaches to its partnership with India across the Authority’s mandate and welcomed India’s continued diplomatic support for ISA and the UNCLOS-based multilateral framework. We exchanged views on the development of the regulatory framework for mineral exploitation in the Area, deep-sea mineral exploration, sustainable use of marine resources and broader multilateral cooperation on ocean governance.
My last stop in India was the city of Chennai, where I visited the headquarters of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), a committed partner of the Authority. NIOT supports the management of ISA exploration contracts and the development of technologies for deep-sea mining, as well as the development of the REMP in the Indian Ocean. With NIOT, we explored opportunities for strengthened technical cooperation and knowledge exchange.
I left India certain that science will remain at the centre of decision-making and that the country´s deeply impressive technological experience can benefit other developing States seeking to strengthen their marine scientific and technological capacities through training, knowledge exchange, fellowships, workshops and technology-related capacity development.
The mission demonstrated the breadth of India’s engagement in deep-ocean affairs, bringing together science in Kochi, policy and diplomacy in New Delhi, and technology in Chennai. It also reaffirmed India’s importance as a strategic partner of the ISA and provided a strong basis for continued high-level, scientific and technical engagement.
Leticia Carvalho,
Secretary-General, ISA.
