Climate Change

Fiji assumes presidency of International Seabed Authority

December 12, 2022 5:40 am

[Photo: Satyendra Prasad/ Twitter]

Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Satyendra Prasad, has called on member states to invest in cooperation rather than unilateralism.

In his role as President of the 27th Assembly of the International Seabed Authority, Prasad told the UN General Assembly that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea has provided stability, certainty, and predictability across our Blue Planet for 40 years.

He says as the UN rises to enhance governance of all global commons, including outer space, cyberspace, and indeed the UN-space, it is instructive to be reminded of the beating heart of UNCLOS.

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He reminded the UN that the ISA makes a significant contribution to the SDGs, contributing directly to 12 of the global goals.

However, he says the 40th anniversary is a good moment to undertake a stress test—a general health checkup.

Prasad stressed that UNCLOS was adopted to shape international law governing the ocean in ways that would drive human prosperity over the decades ahead, and that UNCLOS has delivered prosperity.