Senior lecturer participates in Constitution of the Sea annual session

Dr Edwin Egede, Senior Lecturer in International Law and International Relations, participated in the 23rd Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston, Jamaica this August.

The ISA is an international organisation based in Kingston which has the responsibility under what is sometimes referred to as the ‘Constitution of the Oceans’, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. The ISA manages the deep seabed area beyond national jurisdiction and the valuable mineral resources located therein, which have been declared as the Common Heritage of Mankind

Dr Egede participated in the meeting as part of the delegation of the African Minerals Development Centre, a body that has observer status with the ISA.

Dr. Egede, who is the author of the book, Africa and the Deep Seabed Regime: Politics and International Law of the Common Heritage of Mankind, stated that, “It was intriguing to see the practical workings of the regime governing the Area and the mineral resources therein as conceived by international law, namely the UNCLOS 1982 and the subsequent 1994 Implementation Agreement.”

He further pointed out that, “It was particularly fascinating to observe at such close quarters the display of the intricacies of international politics at the Annual Session as the various regional groupings deliberated on and grappled with some of the key issues on the agenda.”