Quick Facts
International Seabed Authority
- Establishment - An autonomous international organization established in 1994 under
- 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1994 Agreement).
- Headquarters -Kingston, Jamaica
- Members -168 Members which includes 167 Member States and the European Union
- Exclusive Economic Zones -ISA holds authority over the ocean floors outside of its 168 member states’ Exclusive Economic Zones
- Protects marine environment -ISA has the mandate to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed-related activities.
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - ISA is the organization through which States Parties to UNCLOS organize and control all mineral-resources-related activities in the area for the benefit of humankind.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
- Establishment -Adopted in 1982
- Function - Lays down a comprehensive law and order in the world's oceans and seas establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources.
- Under UNCLOS, which India ratified in 1995, the sea and resources in the water and the seabed are classified into three zones:
- Internal waters (IW) -It is on the landward side of the baseline which includes gulfs and small bays. Coastal states treat IW like land.
- Territorial sea (TS) -It extends outwards to 12 nautical miles from the baseline. The coastal nations enjoy sovereignty over air, sea, seabed and subsoil and all living and non-living resources therein.
- Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) -This extends outwards to 200 nautical miles from the baseline.
- In EEZ, the coastal nations have sovereign rights for exploration, exploiting, conserving and managing all the natural resources therein.
- The Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) -Serves as the secretariat of the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
- Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty - An international agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction within the framework of UNCLOS.
