Projects

FY2010

International Committee for Establishment of Maritime Safety System in Micronesia

Implementing Agency The Sasakawa Peace Foundation Year Implementation year(2/2)
Project Type Self OperatedGrantCommissionedOther Year project budget implementation 22,137,364yen
Project Contents
The three nations of Micronesia have vast territorial waters spanning six million square kilometers, yet their land area and population are extremely small. Improvement of marine surveilance capacity is an issue of great importance in the region, however effective maritime management will require construction of a collaborative framework that brings together not only the three Micronesian nations but also Japan, Australia and the US. In this project, an international committee consisting of representatives of Micronesia, Japan, the US and Australia was established to discuss support policy necessary to raise the level of maritime security in the Micronesian region and to pass on relevant findings to the governments of the three Micronesian nations.
Implementation Plan
In the final year of the project, the following activities will be carried out. The 2nd Meeting of Six Nations and Two Non-governmental Organizations: The 2nd Meeting of Six Nations and Two Non-governmental Organizations for Strengthening Marine Surveillance Capacity in the Micronesia Region will be held in Guam in June this year to expand on discussions held at the first meeting conducted in March. Attending the meetings will be representatives of the three Micronesian nations, persons involved in maritime security from the US and Australia, SPF staff and external specialists. The 3rd Meeting of Six Nations and Two Non-governmental Organizations: The 3rd meeting of Six Nations and Two Non-governmental Organizations will be held in the Micronesian region sometime around November 2010. Attending the meeting will be representatives of the governments of three Micronesian nations, Japan, the US, and Australia, as well as program officers from the Nippon Foundation, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and a number of specialists in the maritime security field. The aim of the meeting is to reach a consensus of opinion between all concerned before outlining a final agreement on specific support policy. Coordination Activities Relevant to the Committee Meeting: SPF program officers will be dispatched to Palau to present a progress report at the 10th Micronesian Presidents' Summit in July this year. In the run-up to the 3rd meeting of Six Nations and Two Non-governmental Organizations, SPF program officers and external specialists will be dispatched as necessary to the three Micronesian nations, Washington DC (US), and Canberra (Australia) to coordinate and discuss project-related matters. From November to December 2010, SPF program officers and external specialists will be sent to the three Micronesian nations to discuss the content of the final report with representatives from the countries concerned. Creation of the report: By the end of the fiscal year, a final report describing specific support policy will be created on the basis of discussions at the 3rd Meeting of Six Nations and Two Non-governmental Organizations, coordination with the US and Australia, and talks with the three Micronesian nations. The report will be presented to the governments of the three Micronesian nations in the form of a policy proposal.
Project Results
The objective of this project is to convene an international committee of governmental and non-governmental organizations from the countries involved to discuss and formulate final support measures for strengthening maritime surveillance capacity in Micronesian Region, which will then be presented to the governments of the three nations of Micronesia; the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Republic of Palau (ROP). A second working-level GO/NGO joint meeting was held in Guam from June 2 to 3, 2010, at which a technical review was held for developing concrete support measures. In September 2010, a survey team was sent to FSM and ROP, where they conducted additional surveys as part of further developing those measures. In mid-October, Foundation staff were dispatched to the U.S. and Australia, where they made advance preparations for meetings to be held with relevant institutions in those countries. On November 11, 2010 in Koror, ROP, The Nippon Foundation and SPF co-hosted "The Third Meeting of Six Nations and Two Non-Governmental Organizations for Strengthening. Maritime Surveillance Capacity in the Micronesia Region." The meeting was attended by President Toribiong of the Republic of Palau, a delegation from the three nations of Micronesia, and representatives from the U.S. State Department, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Japan Coast Guard, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Nippon Foundation, and SPF. A final agreement on support measures was adopted in the form of a Summary Record of Discussion. The framework for the measures includes establishment of a regional coordination center, grants of small vessels and the fuel and maintenance to operate them, building of boat ramps, grants of tractor-trailers and generators, as well as improvements to HF/VHF communications equipment and a feasibility study/environmental impact assessment for construction of a fuel tank. These items are to be phased in early April 2011. The six nations involved also agreed to meet regularly to confirm progress.
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