The International Seabed Authority marked the first annual International Day of the Deep Seabed, November 1. It is a new global day for celebration adopted by the 30th Assembly of the International Seabed Authority in its July 2025 session.
Proposed by the Governments of Fiji, Jamaica, Malta and Singapore, the International Day of the Deep Seabed honors the vision of Arvid Pardo, a Maltese Diplomat who in 1967 argued before the United Nations that the riches of the deep seabed should not become the private property of the powerful few. Instead, they should be treated as a shared legacy, to be protected and wisely used for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of all. This concept, the idea that some parts of our world cannot belong to any one state or private entity, represents a great aspiration: that the deep seabed’s mineral resources be considered the common heritage of all humankind.
The deep seabed lies beneath the waves of the high seas, beyond the national borders of any country. Known in international law as “the Area,” it covers 54% of the global ocean and lies at depths from 200 to 10,000 meters below the ocean surface. It is home to mysterious geological formations and ecosystems that most may not know enough about to even picture in their mind: abyssal plains, seamounts and hydrothermal vents, some soaring 35 meters high, millions of years in the making.
These ecosystems exist in extreme conditions of perpetual darkness, high pressure and near-freezing temperatures. Even in these circumstances, life finds a way, largely living on chemical versus sunlight sources of energy. Geological processes in the Area have led to rich mineral resources, including polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulphides and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts.
The day of celebration reflects a shared commitment to raising awareness about the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the 1994 Implementation Agreement. These legal frameworks brought into existence the International Seabed Authority (ISA), to collectively ensure that deep seabed resources are managed and protected equitably, whether a landlocked or coastal country, from the global south to the global north, for present and future generations.
“On this inaugural International Deep Seabed Day,” said said Leticia Carvalho, Madam Secretary-General of ISA, “I call on our Member States, stakeholders, scientists, governments and citizens around the world to use this opportunity to build deep-sea literacy, emphasize the importance of upholding multilateralism, the rule of law and regulatory development to safeguard the common heritage of humankind and to accelerate investment in deep-sea science, technology and innovation to achieve progress at the mid-term of the Decade of Ocean Science.”
