Russian Ambassador to Jamaica new president of International Seabed Authority
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Russian Ambassador to Jamaica Vladimir Polenov is the new president of the International Seabed Authority.
Polenov was elected this morning at the 19th session of the assembly now underway at the Jamaica Conference Centre.
He took over from Milan J N Meetarbhan of Mauritius, and will serve for a year, until the next annual meeting of the assembly.
Among the things the assembly will consider this year are the regulations for prospecting and the exploration of Polymetallic Nodules, which contain manganese, iron, silicon, and aluminum ore.
Polymetallic Nodules are undersea rock formations varying in size up to about four inches in diameter.
Where Jamaica is concerned, the priority subjects will be agreement on measures for the recovery of costs related to the administration of exploration contracts, as well as on measures to avoid environmental impacts arising from the exploration for marine minerals.
The Jamaican delegation also intends to push for possible training opportunities to be provided by exploration contractors to Jamaican nationals, a promotion of the work of Small Island Developing States in the work of the ISA, and to encourage the commemoration of 2014 as the 20th anniversary of the Entry into Force of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The ISA was established to control mineral related activities in the international seabed, that is, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.
As at April 30, this year 164 States and the European Union were members of the Authority, the only UN secretariat to be located in a developing country.
