1,000 Reasons to Discover. Share. Use. Commemorate the day, celebrate the year!
“On 1 November 1967, Ambassador Arvid Pardo presented the United Nations with a vision: the deep seabed beyond national jurisdiction and its mineral resources should serve the benefit of humankind as a whole.
Today, the International Day of the Deep Seabed invites us all to consider how we give practical expression to that vision. This year’s theme, 1,000 Reasons to Discover. Share. Use., provides a compelling starting point. It connects scientific discovery with the responsibilities, opportunities and collective benefits at the heart of the common heritage of humankind. It is also invites stakeholders to commemorate the day and celebrate the year in the lead up to the 60th anniversary of Mr. Pardo’s historic speech.
Through the Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative and its One Thousand Reasons campaign, the International Seabed Authority is working with scientists and institutions worldwide to describe at least 1,000 new deep-sea species by 2030. Each description adds to our understanding of life in the deep ocean. Together, these discoveries strengthen the knowledge available to the international community as it governs the Area and its mineral resources.
The campaign’s significance extends beyond naming species. It illustrates how knowledge, cooperation and equitable participation can support the wider system established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement.
Discover: building the knowledge needed to govern responsibly
The Authority’s mandate brings together the organization, regulation and control of mineral-related activities in the Area, effective protection of the marine environment and the equitable sharing of financial and other economic benefits. Scientific knowledge helps the international community fulfil these interconnected responsibilities.
Taxonomy provides a foundation for that knowledge. Identifying and describing organisms allows researchers to compare findings across locations, institutions and time. It helps establish which species occur in an area and supports further investigation into their distribution, ecological relationships and vulnerability.
The One Thousand Reasons campaign contributes to this foundation. Its discoveries can support environmental baselines, regional assessments and the evaluation of potential impacts associated with mineral activities. Combined with oceanographic, geological and ecological research, they help regulators examine proposed activities and develop appropriate safeguards.
Describing species is one part of this work. Understanding ecosystem functions, environmental variability, cumulative pressures and recovery also remains essential. The campaign therefore contributes to a continuing scientific effort whose findings must inform decisions alongside a clear understanding of uncertainty.
Share: making knowledge and participation more equitable
The common heritage principle concerns both the purpose of activities in the Area and the opportunities to participate in them. Scientific progress gives that principle practical meaning when knowledge, expertise and research opportunities become more widely accessible.
Through partnerships, training and collaboration, the campaign can help scientists from developing countries participate in deep-sea research and strengthen their institutions. Participation in collecting, analysing and interpreting information builds expertise that countries can use in scientific cooperation and in the Authority’s decision-making processes.
Shared reference collections, accessible publications and reliable connections between taxonomic records, international biodiversity registers and ISA’s DeepData platform can make discoveries useful beyond individual projects. Their value grows when information is comparable, its origins are clear and researchers can build on one another’s work.
Member States, contractors, research institutions and partners all contribute to this effort. Contractors’ investment in exploration and environmental studies has helped expand the evidence available to the Authority. Bringing these contributions together within a coherent framework strengthens both scientific understanding and regulatory accountability.
For developing countries, these opportunities form part of a broader commitment. Their interests include effective participation in activities in the Area, institutional and technological capacity, environmental security and equitable financial and other economic benefits. Scientific cooperation can strengthen their ability to engage across this wider agenda.
Use: translating discovery into decisions and collective benefits
The campaign’s third invitation—Use—connects knowledge with the Authority’s responsibilities.
Scientific findings must be available to those assessing applications, developing regional environmental management plans, establishing monitoring requirements and examining compliance. They can help identify sensitive habitats, evaluate potential impacts and determine where additional information or protective measures are needed.
Knowledge must also support transparent explanations of decisions. Member States and stakeholders need to understand the evidence considered, the uncertainties identified and the responsibilities attached to any authorized activity.
This is how scientific discovery contributes to the governance of mineral resources. It informs the conditions under which activities may be considered, assessed, and controlled within the international legal framework.
The 1,000 Reasons campaign also reminds us why this governance matters. The Area and its mineral resources are the common heritage of humankind. Their management must connect effective environmental protection with equitable participation and collective benefit.
Any future exploitation must comply with applicable requirements. Any financial and other economic benefits derived from authorized activities must be shared through agreed arrangements, taking into consideration the interests and needs of developing States. These countries have diverse circumstances, including concerns about possible effects on economies dependent on terrestrial mineral production.
Scientific discovery does not itself establish benefit-sharing arrangements. It strengthens the evidence and capacities that enable the international community to govern responsibly and pursue the purposes for which the regime was created.
Completing the exploitation regulations requires Member States to bring together environmental safeguards, financial arrangements, compliance mechanisms, and clear responsibilities. The Secretariat will continue supporting this collective work and the decisions entrusted to the Authority’s competent organs.
As we approach the 60th anniversary of Ambassador Pardo’s address in November 2027, 1,000 Reasons to: Discover. Share. Use., offers a practical expression of our shared ambition: discoveries that deepen understanding, partnerships that widen participation and knowledge that informs accountable action.
In closing, I extend my sincere appreciation to Fiji, Jamaica, Malta and Singapore, whose leadership has made the International Day of the Deep Seabed possible, and to all other Member States, observers, partners and scientists whose commitment continues to advance our understanding of the deep ocean in this Decade of Ocean Science. A special thanks to the 31 ISA’s Contractors that have, through their investments, made so much of this discovery possible.
Let us discover more. Let us share what we learn. And above all, let’s use this knowledge, through the best possible science – policy interface, to inform robust decision- making and catalyze investment.”
Madam Secretary-General of the ISA,
Leticia Carvalho.