P 240347Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY APIA
TO UNESCO COLLECTIVE
SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0389
INFO AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY KOLONIA PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY KOROR PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY MAJURO PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY SUVA PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY APIA UNCLAS APIA 000004 
 
 
DEPT PASS TO EAP/MTS, OES, EAP/ANP 
COMMERCE FOR NOAA 
USAID FPR RDMA/BANGKOK AND ANE 
INTERIOR FPR USGS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:        
SUBJECT: PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM MEETING REINFORCES COMMITMENT 
TO ACTION 
 
 1.         (U) Summary:  USDEL reported to Post on the 23rd 
Session of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission's 
Intergovernmental Coordination Group on the Pacific Tsunami 
Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/PTWS) held February 16-18 in 
Apia, Samoa.  The Session made important progress in defining an 
interoperable system of national and regional tsunami warning 
systems to complement the international warning and advisory 
services the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) and the Japan Meteorology 
Agency's Northwest Pacific Tsunami Advisory Center (NWPTAC) 
provide.  Tsunami warning and mitigation requirements for the 
Southwest Pacific small island nations were identified, a medium 
term strategy and new PTWS structure adopted, and new officers 
elected.  These actions reinforced the PTWS' emerging emphasis 
on Member States committing to the PTWS and taking 
responsibility for national and sub-regional tsunami warning and 
mitigation.   End summary. 
 
 2.         (U)  Key Outcomes:  The ICG/PTWS adopted a new 
Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) and a new organizational structure to 
meet unique Pacific Ocean basin requirements while aligning the 
PTWS with the Global Ocean-related Hazards Warning and 
Mitigation System framework and IOC Executive Council guidance 
in Resolution EC-XLI.6 that calls for similar structures across 
the ICGs.  The MTS adopts three "pillars" of risk assessment and 
reduction; detection, warning, and dissemination; and awareness 
and preparedness that rest on foundational elements of 
interoperability, research, capacity building, and funding and 
sustainability.  The new organizational structure includes 
technical working groups aligned with the three MTS pillars and 
four regional work groups to address issues specific to the 
Southwest Pacific, Southeast Pacific, Central American Pacific 
Coast, and the South China Sea.  The Session also established a 
Steering Committee comprised of the officers, working group 
chairs, and the PTWC director to guide intersessional ICG/PTWS 
activities.  The Session adopted an implementation plan in 
principle, but did not review or discuss it in plenary. 
 
 3.         (U)  Other Decisions and Recommendations:  The 
ICG/PTWS made a series of decisions to promote seismic and sea 
level data sharing among member states; define regular Pacific 
Ocean basin tsunami exercises and to use these exercises to 
evaluate both national warning centers and new products and 
services from the PTWC and the NWPTAC; and to address emergency 
communications needs for small island nations in the Pacific. 
The Session recommended to the Assembly that the Global Sea 
Level Observing System (GLOSS) terms of reference be evaluated 
and modified to include sea level observation requirements for 
operational tsunami warning and mitigation systems.  Finally, 
the Session requested web services and information support from 
the Secretariat, noting that information posted on the IOC web 
sites is incomplete and that there is a need for PTWS 
information to be available to all PTWS Member States. 
 
 4.         (U)  New Officers Elected:  The ICG/PTWS elected a 
chair (Ecuador - Mr. Giorgio de la Torre) and two vice chairs 
(Japan - Mr. Yohei Hasagawa and Independent State of Samoa - Ms. 
Filomena Nelson).  It is significant that developing nations now 
occupy two of the three officer positions given the new chair's 
emphasis on Member State commitment to and responsibility for an 
effective PTWS.  The Session also elected working group chairs 
for Risk Assessment and Reduction (France - Dr. Francois 
Schindele); Detection, Warning, and Dissemination (U.S. - Mr. 
David McKinnie); and Awareness and Response (New Zealand - Mr. 
David Coetzee).  Malaysia (Dr. Mohd Rosaidi) was elected as 
chair of the new South China Sea working Group.  The IOC 
Executive Secretary will invite Member States to name 
representatives to the working groups. 
 
 5.         (U)  China:  an Interest in Data Sharing?  China is 
donating seven seismic stations to the Government of Independent 
Samoa.  China Earthquake Administration staff, as well as staff 
from the China State Oceanic Administration and the Hong Kong 
Observatory participated in the ICG/PTWS.  The China delegation 
approached the U.S. and other delegations to state their 
interest in ensuring seismic data from their stations were 
shared among Member States and became part of the PTWS detection 
network.  Member states welcomed the Chinese initiative, which 
led to formation of a new working group task team focused on 
seismic data sharing in the Southwest Pacific.  The USDEL and 
SOA representatives also discussed real-time exchange of sea 
level data for tsunami warning purposes. 
 
 6.         (U)  Other Results: Samoa's hosting of the Session 
afforded an opportunity to focus on the Southwest Pacific and 
small island nations in particular.  An unusually large number 
of small island nations participated and contributed to ICG 
recommendations and decisions that focused on improving tsunami 
warning services to the Southwest Pacific.  A sidebar USDEL 
discussion with the New Zealand delegation on GEO/GEOSS sparked 
a discussion internal to New Zealand that is expected to result 
in a more consistent and unified New Zealand engagement in 
GEO/GEOSS.  Samoa stated an interest in learning more about 
GEO/GEOSS.  Member States expressed their appreciation for PTWC 
and International Tsunami Information Center support and 
services in Plenary, Sessional work groups, and sidebar 
discussions. 
 
 7.         (SBU)  IOC Secretariat Support:  Member States 
expressed concern about lengthy delays in providing meeting 
reports, incomplete Secretariat support for ICG/PTWS XXIII, and 
attempts by the Secretariat to unduly influence Member State 
discussions.  Working closely with the Chair and other Member 
States, the USDEL helped to fill the gaps in support and to 
ensure Member States, not the Secretariat, drove discussion on 
the issues.  Session decisions that referenced Secretariat 
support included deadlines and other metrics to measure 
Secretariat responsiveness. 
 
 8.         (U)  U.S. Participation in the Session:  The U.S. 
participated actively in plenary and in Sessional working 
groups.  U.S. chaired the recommendations committee and was vice 
chair of the committee that evaluated and substantially revised 
the medium term strategy, PTWS structure and draft 
implementation plan.  USDEL members were Mr. David McKinnie 
(NOAA - head of delegation); Mr. Edward Young (NOAA); Dr. 
Charles McCreery (NOAA), and Mr. Bernard Kilonsky, 
(GLOSS/University of Hawaii).  Meeting documents and other 
information are available from David McKinnie (HYPERLINK 
"mailto:david.mckinnie@noaa.gov"david.mckinni e@noaa.gov).  The 
USDEL expressed its thanks to Embassy Apia for its support. 
 
 
YEAGER