We would like to share a proud milestone with our supporters. The Ocean and Us was granted official observer status at the Assembly of the 30th Session of the International Seabed Authority. This means we can now be a voice at the ISA on matters related to the seabed and our shared heritage on behalf of concerned citizens, and all life in the ocean! On July 24, our Founder, Farah Obaidullah delivered the first intervention behalf of The Ocean and Us to the Assembly.  Here's the full statement: Thank you, Mr. President, Madam Secretary General, and distinguished delegates, for granting observer status to The Ocean and Us. Thank you to the government of Jamaica for your kind hospitality. The Ocean and Us champions ocean health for the survival of all living beings. Like many here and around the world, The Ocean and Us is deeply concerned about the rush by some to open the High Seas – our shared heritage – to deep-sea mining. Our world is literally on fire. The climate crisis, nature collapse, escalating tensions and failed leadership are destroying the natural systems that make life as we know it possible. Yet some in this body continue to consider the introduction of a new, destructive industry to our ailing world, simply because this was part of the mandate entrusted to this organ more than 30 years ago. Deep-sea mining is ecocide. We know that deep-sea mining will compound the multiple crises we face today. Science tells us that the damage caused by deep-sea mining will be irreversible on human timescales. That deep-sea mining will wipe out species before they have been discovered, and that the consequences of deep-sea mining to ocean functions including carbon sequestration are not fully understood. How can we be sleepwalking toward our own demise? It seems our instruments are no longer agile enough to meet the urgency of the moment. UNCLOS and the ISA were created at a time when neither the climate nor biodiversity crisis were urgent global concerns, when little regard was given to our diverse cultural heritage, our feminine perspectives and indigenous wisdom, when inadequate consideration was given to the collective, the innate, the future and the undiscovered value of the ocean, when we did not and still don’t consider to the sentience or potential intelligence of life in the ocean, including the deep sea. When UNCLOS was negotiated, the concept of wellbeing was different. Emerging from war and famine, security meant sovereignty, growth and material acquisition. Today security means protecting nature for survival, prosperity and wellbeing. With our shared heritage - The High Seas and the intricately connected seabed that belongs to us all, we have a chance to do things differently, to break away from the extractive mindset of centuries gone by. Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past. We must allow the ISA to evolve and change with the times, to become a true steward of the deep sea. The Ocean and Us welcomes the new leadership of the ISA, offering a promise for more inclusive participation of our diverse perspectives as well as decision making rooted in science. Destroying our shared heritage cannot be how we write history. Instead of colonising the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, let us celebrate our global commons as a sanctuary for peace, science, and collaboration. Last month we saw a renewed sense of urgency from governments supporting a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining. There are now 38 countries supporting a precautionary pause or moratorium on deep-sea mining. This gives people hope! The Ocean and Us, and the 350,000 people from around the world that stand with us as well as over 165 organisations and cultural centres, call on states who have not already done so to choose caution. It will show people that we can come together and prevent a disaster from starting. That we dare to protect what belongs to us all. Thank you. Download the statement here: 
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