Selected Decisions and Documents - International Seabed Authority

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ISBA/15/C/8* Statement of the President of the Council of the International Seabed Authority on the work of the Council during the fifteenth session Date: 4 June 2009 1. The fifteenth session of the International Seabed Authority was held at Kingston, Jamaica, from 25 May to 5 June 2009. I. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA 2. At its 140th meeting, on 25 May 2009, the Council adopted its agenda for the fifteenth session, as contained in document ISBA/15/C/1. At the same meeting, the Council also decided to elect Denis Gennadyevich Khramov (Russian Federation), Zhang Haiqi (China), and Nobuyuki Okamoto (Japan) as members of the Legal and Technical Commission for the remainder of the terms of office of Sergey I. Fyodorov (Russian Federation), Hongtao Zhang (China) and Yoshiaki Igarashi (Japan), respectively, who had resigned from the Commission. II. ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT AND VICE‐PRESIDENTS OF THE COUNCIL 3. Also at the 140th meeting, the Council elected Mahmoud Samy (Egypt) as President of the Council for 2009. Subsequently, following consultations in the regional groups, the representatives of Bangladesh (Asian Group), Poland (Eastern European States Group), Mexico (Latin American and Caribbean States Group) and Canada (Western European and Other States Group) were elected as Vice‐Presidents of the Council. III. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY‐GENERAL ON THE CREDENTIALS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL 4. At the 144th meeting of the Council, on 1 June 2009, the Secretary‐General informed the Council that, as of 1 June 2009, credentials had been received from 33 members of the Council. It was noted that, in accordance with the system agreed for the allocation of seats between the regional groups at the first election of the Council, Guyana, on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, would participate in the meetings of the Council in 2009 without the right to vote. In 2010, it would be the turn of the Western European and Other States Group to nominate a member of the Council to participate in the meetings of the Council without the right to vote. IV. REPORT OF THE LEGAL AND TECHNICAL COMMISSION 5. At its 141st meeting, on 29 May 2009, the Council received the summary report of the Legal and Technical Commission on the work of the Commission during the fifteenth session (ISBA/15/C/5), as introduced by Sandor Mulsow Flores (Chile), Chairman of the Commission. The Council took note of the report and in particular of the Commission’s recommendation that the Authority convene, as a priority activity, an international workshop, including members of the Commission with relevant expertise, as well as representatives of contractors and other experts, to review further the current proposal for the establishment of a network of areas of particular environmental interest and to advise on the formulation of an environmental management plan at the regional scale for the Clarion‐Clipperton Zone. The Council also noted that the Commission had completed its work on the draft regulations on prospecting and exploration for __________________ * Reissued for technical reasons 37
cobalt‐rich ferromanganese crusts in the Area and that the text would be transmitted to the Council for its consideration at the next session of the Authority. V. REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE 6. At its 141st meeting, on 29 May 2009, the Council also received the report of the Finance Committee (ISBA/15/A/5‐ISBA/15/C/6). The decision of the Council with respect to the recommendations of the Finance Committee is contained in document ISBA/15/C/7. VI. CONSIDERATION OF THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE LEGAL AND TECHNICAL COMMISSION RELATING TO THE APPROVAL OF TWO PLANS OF WORK FOR EXPLORATION FOR POLYMETALLIC NODULES IN THE AREA 7. The Council was informed that the two applicants for plans of work for exploration had requested that consideration of their applications by the Legal and Technical Commission be postponed and that the Commission had therefore decided to defer further consideration of this item until further notice. As there was no recommendation of the Commission for it to consider, the Council took no action with respect to this agenda item. VII. CONSIDERATION OF THE DRAFT REGULATIONS ON PROSPECTING AND EXPLORATION FOR POLYMETALLIC SULPHIDES IN THE AREA 8. At its meetings on 29 May and 1 to 5 June 2009, the Council continued its consideration of outstanding issues with respect to the draft regulations on prospecting and exploration for polymetallic sulphides in the Area. The Council carried out its deliberations on the basis of a revised text of the draft regulations prepared by the Secretariat, taking into account the discussions and proposals in the Council during the thirteenth and fourteenth sessions (ISBA/15/C/WP.1). The Council also had before it a working paper prepared by the Secretariat containing a review of the outstanding issues with respect to the draft regulations, as well as a number of suggested possible revisions (ISBA/15/C/WP.2). 9. As a result of its discussions, the Council reached agreement on revisions to the following draft regulations: regulations 21, 28 and regulation 45(3), and to the following provisions of annex 4 to the draft regulations: section 17.3; section 21.1 bis; section 25.2. At the conclusion of the session, the Secretariat issued a revised text of the draft regulations incorporating the revisions on which agreement had been reached (ISBA/15/C/WP.1/Rev.1). 10. Despite intensive work by all delegations, the Council was not able to complete its consideration of the proposed revisions to regulations 12(5) and 23 dealing with, respectively, anti‐monopoly and overlapping claims. It was agreed that discussion of these issues would be continued at the next session with a view to adopting the draft regulations. VIII. NEXT MEETING OF THE COUNCIL 11. The next meeting of the Council will be held in Kingston from 26 April to 7 May 2010. It was noted that the Asian Group would, in due course, nominate a candidate for the Presidency of the Council in 2010. 38
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Selected Decisions and Documents - International Seabed Authority

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