This year marks 30 years since the Global Initiative (GI) was established to support the implementation of IMO's International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation. Throughout that time, the GI has helped to prevent and minimise the impact of spills on the marine environment, protect local communities and ensure the safety of maritime workers.
How the GI works
The GI brings together governments, through the IMO, and the oil and gas industry, through Ipieca, to work together in developing national structures and capability for oil spill preparedness and response. It does this through:
- Preparedness and response exercises, workshops and conferences Supporting the development of marine spill contingency plans
- Supporting the development of marine spill contingency plans
- The promotion and implementation of conventions and agreements related to spill preparedness and response
'For 30 years, through the GI, the IMO has stood alongside Ipieca, a partnership built on a simple idea that preventing and responding to oil spills is stronger when governments and industry work together', said Patricia Charlebois, Deputy Director, Marine Environment Division, IMO.
Brian Sullivan, CEO, Ipieca, said: '30 years is a long time for any partnership to last. What makes the IMO-Ipieca Global Initiative so special is that it has endured because it does something very practical and very necessary. It brings government and industry together before incidents happen, and it helps countries strengthen their preparedness systems.'
Where the GI operates
There are three GI programmes world-wide, focused on high-risk areas where the environmental and socio-economic impacts of spills could be severe:
- The GI for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF)
- The GI for South East Asia (GI SEA)
- The Oil Spill Preparedness Regional Initiative (OSPRI) for the Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Central Eurasia
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