The Secretariat undertakes a wide variety of activities aimed at strengthening the IOPC Funds’ relationship with Member States, encouraging the worldwide adoption and understanding of the international regime for oil pollution compensation and assisting potential claimants. As part of these initiatives, the Secretariat conducts training and outreach activities designed for various audiences. These include several regular events, such as an annual week-long academy, short induction courses, informal regional lunch meetings for London-based representatives of both Member and non-member States, as well as customised national and regional workshops.  It also offers short, targeted online training sessions for those State representatives working on specific areas of work relating to the IOPC Funds, such as oil reporting and contributions.

Annual Academy

The IOPC Funds organises an Annual Academy, a week-long programme designed to cover all aspects of the organisation’s work and the international liability and compensation regime. The programme also includes an interactive tabletop exercise during which participants study a theoretical incident, gather the relevant information and then submit a claim for compensation.

Participation is open to representatives of 1992 Fund Member States only. Applicants must be formally nominated by a government representative and submit their nomination via the online application form.

The 2025 Academy will be held in person at the IOPC Funds headquarters in London from Monday, 9 June to Friday, 13 June 2025. The deadline for applications for this year’s event has now passed.

Additional information can be found in circular IOPC/2025/Circ.3

The Secretariat offers tailored induction courses and other training to provide in-depth insights into the work of the IOPC Funds:

Induction Course for Member States

A half-day training session held annually, immediately prior to the regular sessions of the governing bodies. Delegates interested in attending this course are kindly requested to register their interest via email to the Secretariat at externalrelations@iopcfunds.org.

Induction Course for Observers

An induction course for representatives of States and international organisations holding observer status with the IOPC Funds will be held immediately prior to the extraordinary sessions of the governing bodies in April 2025, at the Funds’ headquarters in London. Observer delegates interested in participating in the Induction Course are kindly requested to register online by Monday, 7 April 2025.  See circular ﷟ IOPC/2025/Circ.4 for more information.

Webinars

In 2022, the IOPC Funds launched a series of 15-minute webinars focusing on various aspects of its work, such as understanding the Conventions, financing the system, and claims for compensation.

The series, delivered exclusively in English, has been well-received and is now on its final module, focusing on “The HNS Convention: Why it is Needed Now”. Registration is now open for the last session under this new module, which is entitled ‘Reporting and Contributions’ and will take place on 28 May 2025. It will highlight how the HNS Fund will be financed, and the importance of proper reporting of hazardous and noxious substances.

Regular London-based engagement

Informal regional lunch meetings are held throughout the year in London for representatives of Member and non-Member States to facilitate discussions and knowledge sharing. The most recent event was for the Asia-Pacific region in February 2025.

Universities and Educational Institutions

The Secretariat regularly contributes to events organised by fellow organisations and stakeholders to create awareness and promote better understanding of the role of the IOPC Funds. It gives presentations at conferences and regularly gives lectures to students of maritime law from various universities.

Customised Training for States

The Secretariat provides tailored national and regional workshops for both Member and non-Member States, upon request. These sessions focus on specific areas such as oil reporting, contributions, and claims handling. Depending on the training needs, the Secretariat can deliver dedicated activities in person over a period of days, or as a customised half-day online webinar.  The map below indicates the locations where the Secretariat has delivered in person training events or participated in international conferences in recent years.

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2015
2025

Further Information

For details on upcoming training sessions or to discuss specific training needs, please contact: outreach@iopcfunds.org.

Key events attended by the Secretariat can be found in the News and Events section, and future activities are listed under Upcoming Events.