The President of the 76th session of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, met today with H.E. Mr. Michael Lodge, Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
The President underscored the importance of ISA’s work to the priorities of his mandate and, in particular, to the third Ray of Hope – Responding to the Needs of the Planet. President Shahid welcomed the historic agreement to end plastic pollution reached in Nairobi during UNEA 5.2, and noted the significance of 2022 to the Oceans agenda, with prospective progress on fronts such as the ongoing BBNJ negotiations and the Ocean Conference to be held in Lisbon.
The Secretary-General commented on ISA’s crucial position in ocean governance architecture as well as on its many contributions to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Secretary-General Lodge further highlighted ISA’s efforts to boost capacity-building under its Action Plan for Marine Scientific Research in support of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
The President and the Secretary-General also discussed their steadfast commitment to gender equity and the President’s intention to convene a “Moment For Nature” in July to take stock of the various environment-related events held during the 76th Session.
The meeting took place in the President’s office at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
