The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has announced that Brazilian oceanographer Leticia Carvalho has been elected the new Secretary-General for the 2025–2028 term.

The election took place during the ISA’s 29th session of the Assembly, held July 29–August 2, 2024. Carvalho will be replacing Michael Lodge, who has held the position since 2016, at a pivotal time in deep-sea mining. There are reportedly 32 states—including France, Guatemala, and Honduras—who want to cease all planned mining activity in international waters until additional marine environmental research is conducted. 

Despite this, Canadian mining company The Metals Company (TMC) is still expected to apply for a license sometime this year, adding mounting pressure on the ISA to define a clear set of rules and regulations—also referred to as the “Mining Code”—that govern extraction protocols and procedures.

In a press release, ISA expresses that Carvalho’s new position will help move along the process: “The ISA Secretariat extends its congratulations to Ms. Carvalho and looks forward to working with her in the future to further our shared goals and to ensure the deep seabed is regulated and protected for the benefit of all humanity.”

The ISA also formally expressed, “its immense gratitude and recognition to Secretary-General Michael Lodge for his transformative leadership and dedicated service in the service of the ISA, the Member States, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for over 30 years,” recognizing the significant progress made in recent years to establish the building blocks for the sustainable management of deep-sea resources, including the advancement of scientific research as it pertains to deep-sea environments.