SPWG Final Report

1
SPWG Final Report

• 8th. Meeting at Pusan Korea
• From 2 to 4 May 2006

VII MACHC Meeting October 4th. 2006 Acapulco,
Gro. México
2
SPWG 8 (Final meeting)

• Regional Commissions represented
• BSHC, EAHC, EAtHC, MACHC, MBSHC, NHC, NIOHC,
  NSHC, SAIHC, SWPHC and USCHC.
• individual countries Australia, Brazil, China,
  China Hong Kong, Finland, France, Italy, India,
  Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa,
  UK and USA.
• IHB represented by the President.

3
Ratification Status from MS

• So far Germany, Cyprus, Korea, Denmark, México,
  Morocco, Norway y Pakistan have ratified the
  Amendments.
• By the end of 2006 it is expected that Australia,
  Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, South Africa,
  Netherlands and Japan ratify the Amendments.

4
Revision of the Basic Documents

• The main new topics developed were Article 6
  dealing with the establishment of subsidiary
  organs and subordinate bodies.
• New Art. 7 to cover inter-organizational bodies.
• Article 14 was discussed and some editorial
  amendments made, dealing with the procedures of
  selection of Council members.
• Article 18 of the Rules of Procedure of the
  Council regarding official languages.
• Minor amendments were made to the texts of the
  other Basic Documents (mainly editorial)

5
Implementation Strategy and SPWG Work Program

• Mechanism of Assembly timing.
• Election of the Secretary-General and Directors .
• Salary Scheme for SG and Directors.
• Re-structuring of IHO bodies proposed by the CBC
  and CHRIS Chairmen and to take place before the
  ratification procedure is completed
• To present the implementation strategy to the
  17th. Conference for approval

6
Reports from the CBC and CHRIS Chairmen

• Some details of CHRIS principles have been added
  to comply with new Articles 6 and 7 of the
  General Regs.
• Decisions made on CBC
• General structures for HSSC and IRCCBC were
  approved.
• IRCCBC went back to its original IRCC.
• WEND policy matters under IRCC until the council
  is established.
• Inter-organizational bodies will be governed by
  the new Article 7 of the General Regulations.
• Amendments to HSSC and IRCC ToR

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(No Transcript)
8
Legal Advisory Group (LAG)

• New Article of General Regs
• Article xx - "Legal Advice
• When a need arises for legal advice on matters
  relating to the interpretation and application of
  the Convention, IHO basic documents and execution
  of the aims of the IHO as described in the IHO
  Work Program, a Working Group of legal experts
  drawn from all Member States may be established
  by the Assembly or by Member States through
  correspondence."

9
Report from the IHB on proposals from the SPWG
(Salary scheme and acceptance of conversion from
D.C. to S.G. and Directors)

• A WG has been established to review the salary
  scheme for SG and Ds.
• Clause of acceptance had been included in the
  application for Directorship.

10
Composition of the future Council

• Two thirds of seats on the Council for
  representatives from Regional Hydrographic
  Commissions and the remaining one third based on
  the criteria of Hydrographic Interest.
• Two countries at present not represented in any
  RHC Argentina and Uruguay.
• Some SPWG members felt that they could apply
  within the 1/3 of Hydrographic Interests
• SPWG agreed to maintain the system composition of
  the Council approved at the 3rd. EHC
• Encourage MS to establish or join a RHC
• MS could make proposals to the 17th. IHC

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Hydrographic Interests

• New models proposed by Brazil, France, México,
  Portugal and Tunisia.
• Tonnage was accepted at the 3rd. EIHC as the
  initial parameter.
• Any alternative model should be presented at
  least at the second Assembly.
• SPWG considered several multi-parameter models
  without reaching unanimous acceptance.
• Lengthy discussions and no consensus.
• There are more responsibilities than rewards
• Korea stated that EAHC reached consensus on
  Tonnage.

12
Hydrographic Interests

• The majority of SPWG agreed to keep Tonnage as a
  starting point
• The concept of Hydrographic Interests is not
  specified in the Convention and can be revisited
  by the IHO at any time.
• On-going discussions should consider the
  following possibilities
• - Establishment of a multi-parameter model.
• - Reduce the model to two parameters, possibly
  tonnage and charts.
• - Establish a make your case model which would
  lead to a vote by the Assembly to select the 10
  countries occupying a seat in the Council under
  the one third of Hydrographic Interest.

13
Hydrographic Interests

• The SPWG agreed
• To report to the 17th Conference that Tonnage
  seems to be the parameter to allocate Council
  seats for Hydrographic Interest for the time
  being and that no alternative model has been
  found.
• That when the new structure is implemented,
  experience will be gained and the subject may be
  revisited if needed.

14
Other topics

• IHO Working program
• Strategic Plan
• Performance indicators SPWG concluded that there
  was not a strong justification to propose to the
  Conference the introduction of such Performance
  Indicators

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Future of the SPWG

• The Chairman noted that there were no new tasks
  identified that justify the continuation of the
  SPWG.
• He added that the scheduling of an Extraordinary
  Conference in 2009 made the maintenance of the
  SPWG superfluous and that this was to be
  confirmed by the 17th IH Conference.