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International Geological Congress 2012 - First Circular issued

Friday, 29 October 2010 10:12 administrator
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The IGC Planning Committee has issued the first Circular regarding the Draft program for the 34th IGC. Read the circular here.

This large and prestigious Geoscience World Congress will be held in Brisbane, Australia, from 5-10 August 2012. The scientific program will cover all aspects of the geosciences. It will demonstrate how geoscience knowledge and applications are contributing directly to meeting societal needs, for example through innovation in the resources and energy based industries, better informed land and water management, enhanced understanding and mitigation of climate change and geohazards, and building major cities and infrastructure.

 

All geoscience groups are invited to consider integrating their 2012 meetings into the 34th IGC, to benefit from the opportunities it offers for synergies and networking. There will be about 40 pre and post Congress field trips offered, and a major exhibition. The GeoHost support program for delegates from low income nations will be linked to participation in training workshops. The 34th IGC will feature a major Theme dedicated to geoscience benefiting low income nations.

The IGC Organising Committee seeks all feedback on the Draft program, including any proposed Symposia you would like to nominate, input to proposed Symposia, and also any volunteer Co-ordinators for proposed Symposia. Please note that there will not be a mail out of the printed Circular. Please pass on the information about the Circular to your colleagues in case they have not received the information. The Congress website www.34igc.org will be the main vehicle for dissemination of updated information.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 May 2011 17:02  

Newsflash

Rarotonga, Cook Islands 29/08/12 -  At the 43rd Pacific Islands Forum meeting here in Rarotonga this week, a unique event was witnessed when the Leaders of seven (7) Pacific Island Countries signed and exchanged a total of eight (8) Maritime Boundary Agreements which will bring state-of-the-art accuracy and legal clarity to the boundary positions between several overlapping jurisdictions of neighbouring Pacific Island Countries.

This multiple signing event is a remarkable testament of the close kinship and excellent neighbourly relationships between Pacific Islands Countries and underlines their ability to work together in a spirit of equitable and unified progress. By clearly establishing these boundaries and zones under domestic and international law, as set out in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the signing of these agreements will provide the foundation for improved governance, protection, conservation and management of resources within respective national jurisdictions.

The seven (7) bilateral treaties were signed by the leaders of the Cook Islands, Niue, Kiribati, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Nauru and the Marshall Islands. In addition, the leaders of Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Nauru agreed to an additional tri-lateral treaty concerning the determination of a point where the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of all three (3) countries intersect, referred to as a “Tri-junction point”.

The successful preparations of these agreements leading up to the signing event have been a result of the excellent collaborative work between the respective technical and legal country teams and the regional coordination and collaboration with the Applied Geoscience & Technology Division (SOPAC) of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Geoscience Australia, the Government of Australia’s Attorney General’s Office and the Commonwealth Secretariat. The regional funding support towards these SPC activities is provided by AusAID.