On 5 November, Flemish minister Lydia Peeters, responsible for Mobility and Public Works, signed the IALA treaty in Paris on behalf of the Kingdom of Belgium.
It concerns the founding treaty of the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation. The organization is an upgrade of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA). IALA is a platform where marine guidance services, marine navigation equipment manufacturers, consultants and training institutes from all over the world meet to share their experiences and achievements in marine assistance. The organization is developing standards for shipping guidance, so that it can take place worldwide in a harmonized manner and thus ensures that shipping takes place as safely, quickly and cost-effectively as possible, taking into account the marine environment.
The General Assembly of IALA decided to transform the organization from a non-governmental organization (NGO) to an intergovernmental organization (IGO). By upgrading IALA's status to the level of other IGOs with which it has worked closely for decades, it will be able to work even more effectively with these organizations as a full partner of these IGOs. The Agency for Maritime Services and Coast intends to take an active role within the organisation.
Photo © French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
