Ocean Diplomacy Webinar: Science & Ocean Diplomacy: Perspectives on Deep Seabed Mining

On Thursday, April 18th 2024, the Rethinking Diplomacy Program’s Ocean Diplomacy Working Group hosted a webinar titled "Science & Ocean Diplomacy: Perspectives on Deep Seabed Mining."
The panel featured Patricia Esquete-Garrote, an Assistant Researcher at the Biology Department and Centre of Marine and Environmental Studies of the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and Co-Lead of the Minerals Working Group of the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI), and Gregory O'Brien, Senior Oceans Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of State. The discussion centered on the role of science in international ocean diplomacy, focusing on deep seabed mining negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an emerging industry with potentially significant geopolitical and environmental impacts.
Both panelists have participated as representatives of observer delegations in recent negotiations at the ISA over deep seabed mining regulations, also known as the mining code. Esquete-Garrote represented DOSI while O’Brien, as a member of the state department represented the United States. Although the United States is not a member state of the International Seabed Authority, it is actively participating in the negotiations. They shared insights into the role science played in these challenging negotiations as well as the role of science in ocean diplomacy more broadly.