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Last week, Te Ipukarea Association was represented by Alanna Smith and Kelvin Passfield at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) General Assembly in Kingston, Jamaica.
They were joined on the expedition by navigators Sesario Sewralur and Larry Raigetal, as well as Brittany Komai, Darienne Dey and Nicole Yamase, a young Micronesian marine biologist who was the first Pacific Islander to dive in a small submersible to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, known as Challenger Deep, to a depth of more than 10,000 meters.
We are here to represent the Pacific and fight for the International Seabed Authority to slow down the pace of deep seabed exploitation in international waters. Earlier this week, Te Ipukarea Society co-hosted a side event on Tuesday evening with a group consisting of Sesario, Nicole, Larry, and Tita Kara of the Tonga Civil Society Forum. The meeting was hosted by Ralph Regevanu, Minister of the Vanuatu Government, and moderated by Uncle Sol Kaho’ohalahala, a Polynesian Elder from Hawaii. The event focused on how traditional Pacific culture can be used as a vehicle to better protect and conserve the ocean, and the need to better integrate Indigenous science into much of the deep sea exploration dialogue being conducted by the International Seabed Authority. There was a great turnout, including participation from Surangel Whipps Jr., President of Palau. Many long-time ISA attendees told us that this was an informative side event, providing a new perspective that is just beginning to be recognized by the ISA.
During the General Assembly, we hoped that the Cook Islands Government delegation would show solidarity and support the International Seabed Authority in agreeing to an overarching policy for the protection and preservation of the marine environment. This policy was proposed and supported by a number of environmental advocates at the conference, including Palau, Vanuatu, Costa Rica, Samoa and others. Although the Cook Islands supported the development of this policy in principle, in its statement, the Cook Islands chose to support other countries such as China, Nauru, Kiribati, India and others in pushing for the policy to be sent back to the Council for further guidance and then to the General Assembly, effectively delaying this important process by at least 12 months.
We congratulate the Cook Islands on their election to the ISA Board of Directors, which consists of 37 members, mostly regional representatives. We also congratulate Brazilian candidate Leticia Carvalho on her election as the new ISA Secretary General, succeeding Michael Lodge, who has been re-elected to an unprecedented third term. We hope that Ms. Carvalho will take a more cautious approach to deep seabed mining. When she campaigned for the position, she said that commercial mining should not proceed until the ISA General Assembly adopts a mining law that protects the environment.
Meanwhile, Nauru is expected to submit an application with Metals later this year to begin mining in international waters in 2025. This is despite the fact that mining and associated environmental protections have yet to be completed. Many countries, including the Cook Islands, have stated that they do not support the start of mining without consistent mining guidelines that include environmental protections. In this context, we expect the Cook Islands to oppose the ISA issuing any mining license to Nauru until these regulations are adopted.
From an outsider’s perspective, it is clear that there are deep divisions between countries; some want deep-sea mining to begin as soon as possible, while others are very concerned about the impact this destructive industry will have on the ocean.
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