A sensitization seminar on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the work of the Authority and on marine mineral resources of the South and Equatorial Atlantic Ocean, will be convened by the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the International Seabed Authority from 26 to 28 November 2008, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Assembly of the International Seabed Authority, meeting at Kingston, this morning elected by acclamation Nii Allotey Odunton of Ghana as Secretary-General of the Authority for a four-year term from 1 January 2009.

The Council of the International Seabed Authority International adopted a decision proposing Nii Allotey Odunton of Ghana as the sole candidate for election as Secretary-General of the Authority.

The International Seabed Authority will elect a new Secretary-General and half of its Executive Council and also continue work on a regulatory regime for sulphides and cobalt-rich crusts at its fourteenth session in Kingston, Jamaica, from 26 May to 6 June 2008.

Environmental, commercial mining and scientific interests in deep-sea areas may seem to be at odds, but the International Seabed Authority’s Endowment Fund shows the alliance as a successful model for sustainable use of ocean resources.

The ISA will host a presentation on its Endowment Fund on Wednesday 30 April in Conference Room 5 of the UN headquarters in New York from 1:15 – 2:30pm.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) today announced the appointment of the first seven members of the Advisory Panel for its Endowment Fund for Collaborative Marine Scientific Research.

The International Seabed Authority launched its Endowment Fund project to encourage the conduct of collaborative marine scientific research in the international seabed area in India on February 18, 2008.

A Workshop on Polymetallic Nodule Mining Technology – Current Status and Challenges Ahead will be held in India from 18-22 February 2008.