Informal lunch meeting for Intergovernmental and Non-Governmental Organisations

On 7 February 2013, the Director of the IOPC Funds hosted an informal lunch meeting for the UK-based representatives from Intergovernmental (IGOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) which have responsibilities or activities in fields related to those of the IOPC Funds, particularly in connection with pollution and environmental matters, maritime and shipping affairs, marine insurance, production or transport of oil or relevant questions of international law.
The lunch meeting was particularly well attended and the Director was honoured to welcome the IMO Secretary-General, Mr Koji Sekimizu to the IOPC Funds’ Headquarters for the first time. The 23 guests representing 14 organisations provided a valuable opportunity for informal exchange of views on subjects of common interest.
In his welcoming statement the Director highlighted the fact that the decreasing incidence of large oil spills had not caused a decrease in the workload of the Secretariat. He said that the IOPC Funds will be using this time as an opportunity to work with the appropriate IGOs and NGOs to ensure that Member States have in place the national structures and capability for oil spill preparedness and response, including mechanisms for compensation.
He drew attention to a number of issues which the Funds would focus on in 2013 and made particular reference to those which required the cooperation, support and expert knowledge from the organisations that have observer status with the Funds such as the winding up of the 1971 Fund, implementation of the Conventions, and technical issues such as the definition of ‘ship’.
The next regional lunch meeting for Member and Non Member States is planned to be take place in early summer 2013.