By: Grace Loidolt

In its first major action of the conference, the first resolution was passed. Resolution GA Plen/I/1, initially brought forward by the delegation of Poland, was introduced under the topic “Our Ocean, Our Future, Our Responsibility.” Delegates who wrote and signed onto the resolution including Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg, emphasized the need to modernize deep-sea governance as exploration and extraction technologies advance faster than regulatory frameworks.

Sponsors highlighted that 99.999 percent of the deep ocean floor remains unexplored and stressed the risks posed by underregulated deep-sea mining, including habitat destruction and sediment toxicity. The resolution calls for the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to revoke a two-year rule under UNCLOS’s [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] Part XI and to adopt sustainable mining codes that ensure equitable benefit sharing.

During the debate, several Member States questioned how the proposed changes would affect national interests. The Representative from Egypt sought clarification on commercial shipping impacts, which sponsors stated would remain unaffected. Requests for unrestricted ocean access were countered with references to the Common Heritage of Mankind principle.

The operative clauses encourage research funding, green-energy development, rare-earth recycling and consideration of the global deep-sea mining moratorium.