The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Authority is the organization through which States Parties to the Convention shall, in accordance with the regime for the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (the Area) established in Part XI and the Agreement, organize and control activities in the Area, particularly with a view to administering the resources of the Area.

The Authority, which has its headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, came into existence on 16 November 1994, upon the entry into force of the 1982 Convention. The Authority became fully operational as an autonomous international organization in June 1996, when it took over the premises and facilities in Kingston, Jamaica previously used by the United Nations Kingston Office for the Law of the Sea. Meetings of the Authority are held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston. As of May 2011, there are one hundred and sixty two (162) members.

At its July 2015 meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, the Assembly of the ISA approved the Sargasso Sea Commission's request for Observer Status.

In February 2020, the Secretariat of the Sargasso Sea Commission, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretariat of the International Seabed Authority. The Commission and the Authority both have a strong interest in the protection of the marine environment in accordance with their respective mandates. The Sargasso Sea Commission been an Observer at ISA meetings since 2015. The MoU envisages that, where practicable, the Signatories will, inter alia, consult on matters of mutual interest and cooperate in the collection of environmental data and information.