The Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority will be holding a Sensitization Seminar on Wednesday 16 April 2014, at the Headquarters of the United Nations, New York.

The aim of the seminar is to brief representatives and delegates of Permanent Missions and Observers of the United Nations, headquartered in New York on current issues relating to the work of the Authority including inter alia the status of seabed mineral exploration and prospects for exploitation, the work of the Council and of the Legal and Technical Commission and issues to be considered during the twentieth session of the Authority, schedule for 14-25 July 2014, Kingston, Jamaica.

The seminar will hear an Update on Prospects for Marine Minerals from Dr. James R. Hein, Ph.D., US Geological Survey-Pacific Science Center. Mr. Natsumi Kamiya, Deputy Director General of Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) will present a paper on Japan’s Work on Cobalt Crust Exploration and Technology Development.

Delegates will also be briefed on the Prospects and Status of Exploration for Polymetallic Sulphides by Professor Georgy Cherkashov, Deputy Director of I.S Gramberg All-Russian Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the World Ocean. They will also have an opportunity to hear the Status of Offshore Oil and Gas and considerations relating to Article 82: An Industry Perspective from Mr. Wylie Spicer, Q.C. of Counsel, Norton Rose Fulbright, Canada.

The Secretariat will brief participants on the Overview of the Agenda for the 20th Session; Council Elections for 2014; the ISA Stakeholders Survey for Exploitation Regulations and its current Training Opportunities and the ISA Endowment Fund.