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Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

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esearch in the region, and by so doing, promote and develop the offshore<br />

hydrocarbon and mineral potential of the South Pacific region.<br />

Under the 1989 intergovernmental agreement establishing the South<br />

Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission [SOPAC], full membership 1 rights<br />

are extended to any independent island State of the South Pacific and any selfgoverning<br />

island country in the South Pacific, which is in free association with<br />

another State. Associate membership 2 to SOPAC, being accorded to any local<br />

administration of a non self-governing territory in the South Pacific region.<br />

The agreement articulates the purpose of SOPAC as being to:<br />

• Promote, facilitate, undertake, coordinate, advise on and cooperate<br />

in the prospecting ofand, research into the non-living resources in<br />

the offshore, coastal and onshore areas of those countries whose<br />

Governments are members of the Commission as well as in the other<br />

oceanic areas of the South Pacific region.<br />

• Assist in the development of such resources.<br />

• Undertake such other activities related to prospecting, research and<br />

development of those resources, as the Governing Council shall<br />

determine.<br />

SOPAC’s Governing Council meets on an annual basis to review and<br />

discuss the organisation’s work programme. There are two elements to the<br />

meeting, which provide advice on science to the Council members. A<br />

Technical Advisory Group [TAG] meets jointly with the Council. Immediately<br />

preceding this is the meeting of the Science, Technology and Resources<br />

Network [STAR], which is an open forum for reporting scientific research in<br />

the South Pacific and for exchanging ideas and information between scientists<br />

from SOPAC member countries and the international scientific community.<br />

1 Full membership extends to governments of Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated<br />

States of Micronesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Nuie,<br />

Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.<br />

2 Associate membership extends to New Caledonia and Tahiti Nuie (French<br />

Polynesia).<br />

INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 883

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