IOC-UNESCO-ISESCO Workshop Report

We are pleased to announced the release of the workshop report on "Improving Tsunami Warning and Emergency Response in the North-Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Connected Seas" held on 23 and 24 September 2014 in Rabat, Morocco, and organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO together with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the UNESCO for the Maghreb based in Rabat, and the Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique et Technique of Morocco.

The workshop gathered representatives of governmental, scientific and emergency management institutions from the Maghreb countries with the aim of presenting the recent developments of the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Connected Seas (NEAMTWS), and preparing for the tsunami exercise, NEAMWave 14, which took place from 28 to 30 October 2014.

For more information, please visit: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002305/230519m.pdf

The Dominican Republic government, with UN support, put into effect Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to save lives and prevent property loss in case of tsunamis.

During a ceremony held on Monday October 27 at the United Nations House, representatives of the Center for Emergency Operations (COE), the Seismological Institute University (ISU-UASD) and the National Meteorological Office (ONAMET) committed to ensuring the implementation of the Manual that defines the roles of each entity in the event of tsunamis.

This activity is supported by UNESCO / IOC and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the project "Communities resilient to earthquakes and tsunamis in Puerto Plata" which is funded by the Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection of the European Commission and the Spanish NGO Anesvad.

The Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP, Luciana Mermet, announced that on Thursday October 30 an evacuation drill in cooperation with the local team "Tsunami Action" in Puerto Plata and the education sector. The goal will be to evacuate more than two thousand students from five schools in Puerto Plata which are located in areas vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis.

Mermet shared the head table with the deputy director of the Emergency Operations Center, Edwin Olivares, director ONAMET Gloria Ceballos, the representative of ISU, Felix Martinez, the program officer of the European Commission, Gina Sosa, the coordinator of the Risk Management Unit of the Ministry of Education, Milagros Yost, the representative of the National Emergency Commission, José Jose Alcantara and Professor Miguel Llivina of UNESCO Office in La Havana.

EXERCISE NEAMWave 14

NEAMTWS Secretariat is launching its Second Tsunami Warning and Communication Exercise (NEAMWave 14) for the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and Connected Seas Region that will take place from 28 to 30 October.

Twenty-one countries out of the 39 involved in ICG/NEAMTWS will participate in the Exercise bringing them the opportunity to test the efficiency of the communication systems in charge of transmitting tsunami alerts and, in some countries, to ensure that the authorities in charge of public safety are prepared to face such a threat.

In order to prepare the participants and to inform the population, the Exercise Team has prepared the Manual Tsunami Warning and Communication Exercise. The NEAMTWS Secretariat has developed the flyer Exercise NEAMWave 14.

For more information, please visit:

Exercise NEAMWAVE 14: A tsunami warning and communication exercise for the North-Eastern Atlantic,
the Mediterranean, and Connected Seas Region, 28-30 October 2014, volume I: manual

Flyer: Exercise NEAMWAVE 14: A Tsunami Warning and Communication Exercise
for the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and Connected Seas Region,
28-30 October 2014

International Conference: "The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System 10 years after the Indian Ocean Tsunami: Achievements, Challenges, Remaining Gaps and Policy Perspectives"

The Indian Ocean Tsunami on 26th December 2004 resulted in the loss of over 230,000 lives including over 2,500 foreign tourists, and the displacement of over 1.6 million people around the Indian Ocean, with estimated economic losses of $14 billion.  The catastrophe brought renewed focus on the need for a regional tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean.  Following the disaster, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO was given the mandate to develop and implement an Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS). An Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) for the IOTWS was established by the IOC Assembly in July 2005. 

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, IOC UNESCO and the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology for Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) are sponsoring and organising a conference to recognise the achievements of the last 10 years, to highlight work that still needs to be done, and to seek re-commitment to continued investment in the IOTWS.  The conference will be held at the BMKG Auditorium in Jakarta, Indonesia, 24-25 November 2014 and will offer high level perspectives from invited speakers and panel discussions from decision makers and scientists.  The 2nd announcement for the conference provides further details of the conference programme.

The conference is open attendance and there is no registration fee.  Registration can be completed online at: www.ioc-unesco.org/IOTconference2014.   For further information please contact Mr Tony Elliott, Head of ICG/IOTWS Secretariat, at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..