North-Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas

Tsunami Information Centre

General Information

The Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (ICG/NEAMTWS) was formed in response to the tragic tsunami on 26 December 2004, in which over 250,000 lives were lost around the Indian Ocean region.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) received a mandate from the international community to coordinate the establishment of the System during the course of several international and regional meetings, including the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (Kobe, Japan, 18 – 22 January 2005), and the Phuket Ministerial Meeting on Regional Cooperation on Tsunami Early Warning Arrangements (Phuket, Thailand, 28 and 29 January 2005).

The IOC Assembly, during its twenty-third Session (21-30 June 2005), formally established the ICG/NEAMTWS through Resolution XXIII-14.The guidelines for the NEAMTWS activities are compiled in the NEAMTWS Imprementation Plan.

The Council of the European Union with its Conclusion of December 2007 (15473/07) emphasised, in order to avoid duplications, the importance of integrating forthcoming proposals into the ongoing IOC's NEAMTWS initiative.