8th Joint IHO/IMO/WMO/IOC/IALA/IAEA/FIG Capacity Building Meeting

27-28 November 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark

FIG Commission 4 cooperates with other organisations that focus on hydrography, hydrographic surveying and nautical cartography. A group has been formed to undertake simple and informal meetings to help coordination and exchange of information and experience on the Capacity Building.

From left: Alberto Costa Neves IHO, B. Sıtkı Ustaoğlu IMO, Xu Tang WMO, Gordon Johnston, FIG Commission 4, Claudia Delgado IOC, Mustafa Iptes IHO, Stephen Bennett IALA, Louise Friis-Hansen FIG, Jean-Charles Leclair, IALA and Thomas Dehling IHO.

10 representatives from the seven organisations met for two days in Copenhagen, hosted by FIG Commission 4 and FIG Office to discuss and exchange information about their latest initiatives on capacity building and development, and to inform about the activities in the organisations. Several of the organisation organise capacity building programmes around the world. The group meets once a year and this was the eights meeting.

The organisations represented were: International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), International Atomic Energy Agency - Environment Laboratories (IAEA unfortunatelty not present), and FIG.

The delegates generated the following recommendations from the meeting:

1. That capacity building should include strategies to protect the marine environment through safety of navigation initiatives and or regulation concerning:
   • Environmental risk assessment initiatives
     • IALA risk management toolbox
     • Hydrographic risk assessment methodologies
     • Oceanographic inundation modelling
   • Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs)
   • The implications of climate change
   • The direct link between safety of navigation and protection of the marine environment
   • Incorporation of a wider group of stakeholders who can affect or be affected by changes to the marine environment
2. That information would be shared on the establishment of regional training hubs and advances in distance/e-learning
3. That stakeholders, opinion formers and the wider public be informed or educated on matters relating to capacity building activities to improve the safety of navigation and protection of the marine environment through proactive public relations initiatives. Members should share examples with other members of the Meeting
4. That an information exchange be established between member organisations of the Joint Capacity Meeting Group including:
   • Calendar of activities
   • Country maritime profile information
   • Joint IHO/IALA/IMO high level visits to common target States/regional organisations where appropriate
   • Capacity Building/Development impact assessments
   • Gender and youth programmes
5. That these be collated into a draft information paper for input to IMO TCC-65: Action IALA

Louise Friis-Hansen
Copenhagen
19 December 2014

19 December 2014