STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM 9, INFORMATION REPORTED BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY, AT THE TWENTY-SEVENTH MEETING OF THE STATES PARTIES TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA, 12 JUNE 2017

Mme. President,

1.                  My delegation would like to congratulate you on your election as President of the twenty-seventh meeting of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”). We express our full support for your work and leadership throughout this process.

2.                  We thank the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (“the Authority”), Mr. Michael Lodge, for the provision of information on the activities carried out by the Authority since the twenty-sixth Meeting of States Parties. We also wish to take this opportunity to once again congratulate him on his election as well as to express our appreciation for the good work that had been done by his predecessor, Mr. Nii Odunton of Ghana. Over the past several months, we have been encouraged by the reforms which the new Secretary-General has promptly undertaken to improve the efficiency and communication of the Secretariat of the Authority. We are similarly encouraged to see the Authority undertaking more workshops and seminars during the inter-sessional period, which serve the important purpose of increasing awareness and understanding of the work and activities of the Authority. Given the recent conclusion of the Ocean Conference, we also wish to recognise and applaud the active participation of the Authority at the conference and welcome the voluntary commitments which it has made, especially those related to small developing States.

Mme. President,

3.                  My statement will focus on three issues: firstly, the first working draft of the Exploitation Regulations (“Regulations”) and Standard Terms of Contract; secondly, the final report of the Review Committee established pursuant to Article 154 of UNCLOS; and thirdly, the upcoming annual Session in Kingston, Jamaica.

The first working draft of the Exploitation Regulations and Standard Terms of Contract

4.                  Turning to the first issue, Singapore would like to thank the Legal and Technical Commission (“LTC”) for the first working draft of the Regulations and Standard Terms of Contract. This is a key step towards providing greater regulatory certainty for all stakeholders involved, which will help to promote the development of the deep seabed mining industry.

5.                  Singapore wishes to reiterate the need for adherence to general principles for the Regulations, as follows:

(a)               First, the content and terminology used in the Regulations should be consistent with international law, including UNCLOS;

(b)              Second, the Regulations should be a stable and coherent framework that provides regulatory certainty for Contractors to make the necessary commercial decisions in relation to their activities in the Area;

(c)               Third, the Regulations should balance the need for commercial viability of the exploitation of mineral resources in the Area against the need to monitor and mitigate any resultant environmental impact from exploitation; and

(d)              Fourth, the Regulations should be developed on the basis of inclusiveness and fairness, to encourage wider participation from members of the Authority, including developing States.

6.                  We support the approach taken by the Authority to conduct wide-ranging stakeholder consultations on the working draft of the Regulations. However, we understand that only 8 governments have submitted their comments on the working draft thus far. We think it is important that member states, as members of the Authority, participate actively in the process of the development of the working draft and we encourage greater participation in order that the draft may benefit from a diversity of views. We also look forward to a discussion during the Council meeting on how the work on the Regulations, including provisions on the environment, will be taken forward.

The final report of the Review Committee

Mme. President,

7.                  Turning now to the final report of the Review Committee, we thank the Review Committee for putting together this report, which Singapore is carefully studying. We have also taken note of the fact that the Secretary-General of the Authority has prepared a report in response which we will study very carefully. We look forward to fruitful deliberations at the upcoming session with a view to improving the operation of the international regime of the Area.

The upcoming annual session

Mme. President,

8.                  The upcoming 23^rd Session of the Authority will have important work before it.  In our capacity as a member of the Council of the Authority, we would like to call for greater participation by other States Parties at this Session. 

9.                  The Authority is the organisation through which States Parties regulate activities in the Area, particularly with a view to administering the resources therein.  UNCLOS provides that the Area and its resources are the common heritage of mankind, and that the activities in the Area are to be carried out for the benefit of mankind as a whole.  Accordingly, we urge all States Parties to fulfil our collective responsibility by being present and engaged in the work of the Authority, including at its annual Sessions, to ensure progress in the work of the Authority. We are pleased that we were able to achieve quorum at the previous session and we hope that attendance at the upcoming session will be enhanced even further.

10.             I thank you for your kind attention.

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