UN General Assembly
2016

Tonga continues to recognize the importance of the work of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Tonga engages in the Authority’s processes to ensure that the appropriate conservation and environmental-management practices are sufficiently robust in terms of seabed mining. We thank the Member States that supported Tonga in its election to the Council of the Authority in 2014 and, earlier this year, to the Council’s Legal and Technical Commission. In reiterating our support for the good work of the ISA Assembly, we look forward to assisting the Authority in managing the upcoming challenges as the onset of seabed mining in the Area comes to the fore. We also congratulate the ISA Secretary-General-elect, Mr. Michael Lodge, and look forward to his stewardship of the Authority in the coming years.