The IMO-Ipieca Global Initiative celebrates 30 years

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
• The promotion and implementation of conventions and agreements related to spill preparedness and response

Patricia Charlebois, Deputy Director, Marine Environment Division, IMO, said: ‘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.’

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

Collaboration remains key to spill prevention, preparedness and response

Key to the success of the GI is the understanding that spills cross borders and a major response is too big and complex for any one party to handle on its own. Through the GI’s convening power and programme of activities marine spill decision makers know each other, understand where responsibilities lie and are ready to work together.

The GI has endured for three decades because spill prevention, preparedness and response are stronger when government and industry work together. The work the GI does remains as important today as when it began 30 years ago.

Learn more about the Global Initiative