IMO's marine science advisory group, GESAMP*, is welcoming a new sponsor. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), the agency responsible for regulating mining and related activities in the international seabed, beyond national jurisdiction, an area that includes most of the world's oceans, is becoming the tenth sponsoring organization of GESAMP.
The new sponsor is joining the other nine organizations whose task is to advise the United Nations on the scientific aspects of marine environmental protection. The ISA's expertise is already being put to good use, with the Authority taking part in a working group dealing with the impacts of wastes and other matter in the marine environment from mining operations, including marine mineral mining.
The newly added sponsor is good news for GESAMP, which will celebrate 50 years of service as an advisory mechanism to the UN next year.
* The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection