Webinar - Science & Ocean Diplomacy: Perspectives on Deep Seabed Mining

Please join the Ocean Diplomacy Working Group (ODWG) and the Duke Rethinking Diplomacy Program for a virtual panel discussion on ocean science, policy, diplomacy, and law in current negotiations over deep seabed mining regulations at the International Seabed Authority. Our guest speakers are Gregory O'Brien, Senior Oceans Policy Advisor in the Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and Patricia Esquete Garrote, deep sea ecologist, anthropologist, and Co-Lead of the Minerals Working Group of the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI). O'Brien and Esquete Garrote have been active participants in recent negotiations over deep-sea mining and will share their thoughts on the future of deep sea bed mining and the use of science in diplomatic negotiations. The discussion will be moderated by Elisabetta Menini, a 5th year PHD Candidate in the Marine Science and Conservation graduate program at Duke University. Elisabetta has a background in marine biology and marine spatial planning. The Ocean Diplomacy Working Group was launched in 2023 through a grant from Duke's Office of Global Affairs. It includes members from several schools and programs across Duke, including the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke Law, the Duke Marine Lab. The ODWG is interested in the complex political and social issues, institutional arrangements, agreements, and negotiations involved in ocean diplomacy. Their goal is to improve connections between science, scholarly research, and the diplomatic process so that policy makers and diplomats have the most up to date scientific information as they craft policy and international agreements with enormous impact across ecosystems, cultures, national borders, and international fora. The Duke Rethinking Diplomacy Program is grateful for the longstanding support of the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation.