Amiel Ian Valdez was invited to serve as a panellist at the Symposium on ‘UNCLOS in the 21st Century: Navigating Indonesia’s Interests in the Evolving Global Maritime Dynamics’, held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 27 November 2025. The event was convened by Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Political and Security Affairs, upon the invitation of the Director General of Legal Affairs and International Treaties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Amiel spoke on ‘Regulating Deep Seabed Mining: The Legal Implications of the ICJ and ITLOS Advisory Opinions on Climate Change’, highlighting how the Advisory Opinions can strengthen the International Seabed Authority’s regulatory framework particularly with respect to the protection of the marine environment. He underscored Indonesia’s strategic role as a current member of the ISA Council, emphasizing the country’s ability to shape the finalisation of the draft Exploitation Regulations. He also discussed the need for sponsoring states to align domestic policies and climate commitments with their long-term engagement in activities in the Area beyond national jurisdiction.

Amiel joined a distinguished panel on Marine Environmental Protection, which included:

• Prof Anne Margaret Orford, University of Melbourne
• Prof Arie Afriansyah, Universitas Indonesia
• Prof.Dhiana Puspitawati, Universitas Brawijaya

The session was expertly moderated by Ms. Grace Gabriella Binowo of the Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative.