H.E. Mr. Sidi Mohamed Laghdaf presented his credentials to the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), H.E. Mr. Michael W. Lodge, as the Permanent Representative of Mauritania to ISA, during a ceremony held in Kingston, Jamaica, on 8 November 2023.
Ambassador Laghdaf is a multilingual career diplomat who joined the Foreign Service in 1991 and held various high-level positions with the Mauritanian government.
Ambassador Laghdaf holds two master’s degrees in international management and international administration. He is the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Mauritania to the United Nations in New York.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Laghdaf recognized the importance of the work of ISA. “Natural resources, particularly seabed minerals and others, beyond the limits of natural jurisdictions and outside exclusive national maritime areas, must have a mechanism to ensure their sustainability and management. In this context, Mauritania, a maritime country with more than 750 kilometres of maritime border on the Atlantic Ocean, pays particular attention to the work that ISA does.”
Secretary-General Lodge welcomed Ambassador Laghdaf as the new Permanent Representative of Mauritania to ISA. “The Government of Mauritania has consistently played a constructive role in the maritime domain. Its commitment to the objectives and principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the mandate recognized to ISA is commendable,” he said. “I look forward to working closely with Mauritania to further the goals of ISA as Steward of the Area and its resources for the benefit of all humanity,” Mr. Lodge added.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Jaimie Abbott, Communications Specialist, ISA, jabbott@isa.org.jm