ITSU-XIV/3 - International Co-ordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific, Eighteenth Session, Tokyo, Japan, 30 August - 03 September 1993

 

The Chairman, Mr. R. Hagemeyer, opened the Fourteenth Session of the IOC International Coordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System (ICG/ITSU) in the Pacific at 10.00 on 30 August 1993.

In welcoming participants, he recalled that the First Session of the Group was held almost 25 years ago and since that time the Group accomplished many tasks, which have been targeted on strengthening national and regional infrastructures of the tsunami warning system. He emphasized the usefulness of the Group activities for society and the need to make its voice heard in a constructive manner in light of the lnterna~ional Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) and the United Nations Conference on Envitonment and Development (UNCED). The Chairman welcomed the Representative of Nicaragua, the newest member of the Group, added in February 1993, to the IOC International Co-ordination Group for ITSU.

Dr. Kozo Ninomiya, Director-General of the Japan Meteorological Agency, expressed his great pleasure and extended his heartiest welcome to all the participants of the Session. He stressed that during all its years of existence the Group devoted itself to the improvement of operational services (or tsunami warning and emphasized the importance of the Group activities. He drew the attention of the participants to the large tsunami disasters in Indonesia, Japan and Nicaragua which are still vivid in our memory. These tragic disasters reminded us once more of th~: task to improve the effectiveness of the Pacific Tsunami Warning System and to make it more rapid and accurate.

Dr. Ninomiya reminded the participants that the Session will be in recess on 1 September due to the general disaster prevention drills. On 1 September 1923, just 70 years ago, the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred and more than 140,000 people were killed in and around Tokyo. The Disaster Prevention Day was created to memorialize this tragic disaster. Holding the Session on the Disaster Prevention Day in Tokyo makes it more meaningful. He invited participants to take part in the drills and announced that the delegates from Indonesia and Nicaragua were invited on 1 September to deliver lectures to the staff of JMA on the tsunami disasters of 1992 in their countries.

Finally, the Director-General expressed a strong belief that the session will provide an excellent opportunity to make proposals of future strategy for further development of the tsunami warning system in Pacific. He wished all the participants a pleasant stay in Japan and an enriching experience both personal and professional.

Dr. I. Oliounine, the Technical Secretary of the Session, Senior Assistant Secretary IOC, thanked the Government of Japan for hosting the Meeting and thanked the representatives of Member States and international agencies for the exemplary co-operation which has led to the establishment of the unique operational warning system with its data collection sites, communication links, procedures for warnings dissemination. He said that the Tsunami Warning System is now about to embark on a new phase of its existence, in which it will attempt to anticipate Member States' aspirations, laying special emphasis on the development of regional warning centers, on improving our knowledge on the mechanism of tsunami generations and on increasing awareness of population of tsunami danger. Dr. Oliounine noted that this session is taking place at a very significant moment with less than one year left before the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction which will be held in Yokohama, Japan in May 1994. He called on the delegates to provide guidance to the Secretary IOC on the best way to present the IOC tsunami mitigation programme at this international forum.

He strongly emphasized the need to take into consideration, not only Pacific wide but also local problems, to ensure that training, education and mutual assistance activities are given high attention, to consider and suggest ways for further improving the bonds of co-operation with the scientific community, and insisted on the need of increased involvement of Member States of the region to accomplish these tasks.

On behalf of the Secretary IOC, Dr. G. Kullenberg, Dr. Oliounine wished the participants every possible success and a v.er y good stay in Tokyo . 9 The Chairman of the Group thanked all the speakers for encouraging words and advice, and invited the Group to adopt the Provisional Agenda as circulated dated 10 March 1993. The Group adopted the Agenda as presented in Annex I.

The Group accepted the proposal by Colombia to designate Mr. W. Sites (USA) as Rapporteur for the Session.

The Technical Secretary introduced the timetable and the documentation. The Group adopted the working procedures, took note of the documentation and accepted the timetable with minor modifications. The List of Participants is given in Annex III. The List of Documents is reproduced hereto as Annex IV.

The Group noted with satlsractlon a very good representation of the IOC Member States of the Pacific at this Session. However, it expressed concern that a few Member States of ICG/ITSU including Australia, China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Russia have not been represented at the last two Sessions and requested its Chairman and the Secretary IOC to fand out the reasons for their absence and take the necessary actions in order to bring them to the next Session.

Finally, the representative of the local organizing Committee, Mr. Masaro Saiki, informed the participants of the local arrangements.


 Informational Documents

Document Title Format/Type
ITSU-XIV Summary Report PDF  (2.21 MB)

 

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