world maritime university project gets under way

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Global Environmental Concern* Environment and natural resource management agencies now operate in 144 countries, a 500 percent increase over the last 10 years. In Third World countries alone, the number stands at 105, up from 11 at the time of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environ- ment in 1972, a World Environment Center survey found. Of the indus- trialized countries at that conference, only 15 had environment agencies. Libby Bassett, who directed the survey, says these figures clearly show that "the commitment to safe- guard Earth's basic resources has spread from the US and Europe to nearly all the world's nations". "This extraordinary increase oc- curred despite the worldwide eco- nomic recession that led some coun- tries - most notably the United States - to retreat on their environ- mental programs." The Center found that these 144 countries now have ministries, depart- ments, secretariats or similar agencies with a broad range of powers and re- sources to deal with natural resource management. "Environmental issues are now a very real concern in the developing nations", Bassett explained. "New, tough environmental regulations are being put into effect in countries as diverse as Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Mexico - nations in which the US has major economic investments. While the US Administration tries to ease its environmental regulations, other nations are toughening theirs", she said. This broad spectrum of environ- mental activity is clearly seen in the Center's new directory of worldwide environmental agencies: The World Environment Handbook: A Directory of Government Natural Resource Management Agencies in 144 Coun- tries. The World Environment Hand- book is an international who's who of the environment field. It lists nearly 400 government environment agencies and their addresses and, where available, the names of the of- ficials in charge and their telephone numbers. The countries listed range from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Austria to New Zealand, and include agencies that deal with agriculture, water, for- ests, health, energy, lands and live- stock, industry, national parks, wild- life protection and many other areas of sectoral interest. The World Environment Hand- book was published last fall by the World Environment Center, 605 Third Avenue, 17th floor, New York, NY 10158. Its price is US $25 (plus $2 for postage and handling for North America; $4.50 for overseas airmail). Telephone: 212/986-7200. *Courtesy World Environment Center, New York, USA. Editorial Note: The World Environment Center, a non-profit, non-advocacy infor- mation service, focuses on global environ- ment and development issues. It was founded in 1974 with support from the United Nations Environment Program. World Maritime University Project Gets Under Way* The project to establish a World Maritime University has been offi- cially launched at Maim6, Sweden. An Agreement under which the City of Maim6 will provide facilities for the University was signed by Mr Nils Yngvesson of the Municipality of Maim6 and Mr C. P. Srivastava, Secretary-General of the Interna- tional Maritime Organization. Pro- fessor Solve Arvedson, head of the Maim6 Merchant Marine Academy, was sworn in as the University's first rector. The aim of the University is to provide specialized training for mari- time administrators, surveyors and inspectors, accident investigators, ma- ritime lecturers and others holding key positions in the administrations of developing countries. *Courtesy IMO Briefing, London. Although there are now many training schools at national and re- gional levels for cadets and sea-going officers in various developing coun- tries, there are no facilities at present providing training in these advanced levels of expertise. Yet the success of current efforts to improve shipping safety and prevent marine pollution from ships depends to a considerable extent on the efficiency of maritime administrations all over the wodd. It is expected that the University will receive its first students on 1 July 1983 and initially at least will have about 100 students. Most degree courses will last for two years, but others will only last for one year and it is expected that the WMU will also be able to offer specialized courses lasting for only a few weeks. The University will be based at the Maim6 Merchant Marine Aca- demy, whose activities are gradually being phased out. The local author- ities are also providing accommoda- tion and social facilities for students. Although the bulk of the training will take place at Maim6, students will also visit centres elsewhere in Sweden and in other European coun- tries for special courses. The WMU has received the back- ing of the IMO Assembly and the UNDP governing body and today's ceremony was the cause of especial satisfaction to Mr Srivastava, who regards this project as a marvellous example of effective, concrete and beneficial cooperation between de- veloped and developing nations. He said: "The World Maritime University will certainly make a major contribution to IMO's twin objectives of safer shipping and cleaner oceans. Over the years I have visited very many of IMO's 122 Member States and although all of them are anxious to raise standards, many are handi- capped by the lack of suitably trained personnel, especially at senior levels in their administrations. The WMU Vol. 3, No. 1 (1983) 57

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Page 1: World maritime university project gets under way

Global Environmental Concern*

Environment and natural resource management agencies now operate in 144 countries, a 500 percent increase over the last 10 years.

In Third World countries alone, the number stands at 105, up from 11 at the time of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environ- ment in 1972, a World Environment Center survey found. Of the indus- trialized countries at that conference, only 15 had environment agencies.

Libby Bassett, who directed the survey, says these figures clearly show that "the commitment to safe- guard Earth's basic resources has spread from the US and Europe to nearly all the world's nations".

"This extraordinary increase oc- curred despite the worldwide eco- nomic recession that led some coun- tries - most notably the United States - to retreat on their environ- mental programs."

The Center found that these 144 countries now have ministries, depart-

ments, secretariats or similar agencies with a broad range of powers and re- sources to deal with natural resource management.

"Environmental issues are now a very real concern in the developing nations", Bassett explained. "New, tough environmental regulations are being put into effect in countries as diverse as Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Mexico - nations in which the US has major economic investments. While the US Administration tries to ease its environmental regulations, other nations are toughening theirs", she said.

This broad spectrum of environ- mental activity is clearly seen in the Center's new directory of worldwide environmental agencies: The World Environment Handbook: A Directory of Government Natural Resource Management Agencies in 144 Coun- tries.

The World Environment Hand- book is an international who's who

of the environment field. It lists nearly 400 government environment agencies and their addresses and, where available, the names of the of- ficials in charge and their telephone numbers.

The countries listed range from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Austria to New Zealand, and include agencies that deal with agriculture, water, for- ests, health, energy, lands and live- stock, industry, national parks, wild- life protection and many other areas of sectoral interest.

The World Environment Hand- book was published last fall by the World Environment Center, 605 Third Avenue, 17th floor, New York, NY 10158. Its price is US $25 (plus $2 for postage and handling for North America; $4.50 for overseas airmail). Telephone: 212/986-7200.

*Courtesy World Environment Center, New York, USA.

Editorial Note: The World Environment Center, a non-profit, non-advocacy infor- mation service, focuses on global environ- ment and development issues. It was founded in 1974 with support from the United Nations Environment Program.

World Maritime University Project Gets Under Way*

The project to establish a World Maritime University has been offi- cially launched at Maim6, Sweden. An Agreement under which the City of Maim6 will provide facilities for the University was signed by Mr Nils Yngvesson of the Municipality of Maim6 and Mr C. P. Srivastava, Secretary-General of the Interna- tional Maritime Organization. Pro- fessor Solve Arvedson, head of the Maim6 Merchant Marine Academy, was sworn in as the University's first rector.

The aim of the University is to provide specialized training for mari- time administrators, surveyors and inspectors, accident investigators, ma- ritime lecturers and others holding key positions in the administrations of developing countries.

*Courtesy IMO Briefing, London.

Although there are now many training schools at national and re- gional levels for cadets and sea-going officers in various developing coun- tries, there are no facilities at present providing training in these advanced levels of expertise. Yet the success of current efforts to improve shipping safety and prevent marine pollution from ships depends to a considerable extent on the efficiency of maritime administrations all over the wodd.

It is expected that the University will receive its first students on 1 July 1983 and initially at least will have about 100 students. Most degree courses will last for two years, but others will only last for one year and it is expected that the WMU will also be able to offer specialized courses lasting for only a few weeks.

The University will be based at the Maim6 Merchant Marine Aca-

demy, whose activities are gradually being phased out. The local author- ities are also providing accommoda- tion and social facilities for students. Although the bulk of the training will take place at Maim6, students will also visit centres elsewhere in Sweden and in other European coun- tries for special courses.

The WMU has received the back- ing of the IMO Assembly and the UNDP governing body and today's ceremony was the cause of especial satisfaction to Mr Srivastava, who regards this project as a marvellous example of effective, concrete and beneficial cooperation between de- veloped and developing nations.

He said: "The World Maritime University will certainly make a major contribution to IMO's twin objectives of safer shipping and cleaner oceans. Over the years I have visited very many of IMO's 122 Member States and although all of them are anxious to raise standards, many are handi- capped by the lack of suitably trained personnel, especially at senior levels in their administrations. The WMU

Vol. 3, No. 1 (1983) 57

Page 2: World maritime university project gets under way

will help them to overcome this problem."

He paid tribute to the generosity of the Swedish government, which has given the WMU whole-hearted support and to the City of Malm6, which has also been outstandingly generous.

He continued: "Sweden has set a wonderful example and I am sure that others will follow."

During the next few months fur- ther preparatory work will be carried out by Professor Arvedson and his team. This will consist initially of only five people, but by next July the University will be fully staffed. Professor Arvedson himself has wide sea-going experience as well as in academic work and has frequently been a member of the Swedish dele- gation to IMO meetings.

Environment in Turkey

Turkey's leading environmentalist group, the Environmental Problems Foundation of Turkey (EPFT), found- ed in 1978, recently gained a major victory when an article on environ- mental protection was included in Turkey's draft constitution. EPFT was the first organization to make a proposal concerning the text, which has been under consideration by the nation's Constitution Committee since September 12, 1980. Follow-

ing EPFT's vigorous publicity cam- paign to win public and government support for the proposal, the National Security Council finally made an offi- cial request for the organization's views on the subject. When the draft is approved, it will be the first time that environmental protection has been included in the Turkish consti- tution.

Pursuing a policy of developing environmental law, EPFT has also

prepared and submitted to the gov- ernment a proposal for an environ- ment protection law. If such legisla- tion is accepted, Turkey will have taken a giant step towards solving many of its environmental problems.

Environmental law is not the only area of EPFT activity, it has in addi- tion a long list of publications issued as part of its public awareness pro- gramme. EPFT has also published Turkey's first environmental profile, in both Turkish and English editions in 1981. The profile was produced from an environmental fact finding study undertaken by EPFT and was the first study in the world to be carried out entirely by a private, non- governmental organization.

A quarterly newsletter in Turkish has been published since 1978, and since April of 1982, this has been complemented by an English lan- guage newsletter. Further informa- tion about EPFT can be obtained from the Secretary General, Environ- mental Problems Foundation of Tur- key, Kennedy Caddasi 33•7, Kavakli. dere, Anakara, Turkey.

MARPOL 73/78 to Enter into Force on 2 October 1983"

The most important international treaty-regime ever developed in the struggle against marine pollution will come into force on 2 October this year.

This was assured with the accep- tance by Italy of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modi- fied by the Protocol of 1978 (MAR- POL 73•78). Italy is the 15th coun- try to accept the treaty-regime which required ratification by 15 countries before it could come into force. An- other requirement was that the com- bined merchant fleets of the accept- ing countries should represent 50 per- cent of world tonnage. This tonnage requirement was reached on 23 Sep- tember 1982 when the 1973 Con- vention and the 1978 Protocol were ratified by Greece.**

The MARPOL 73/78 instruments were developed by the International

Maritime Organization (IMO) and adopted at conferences arranged un- der the auspices of that Organization.

The Italian instrument of accep- tance was deposited on 1 October 1982 by Signor Luigi Maria Fontana Giusti, Minister-Counsellor at the Italian Embassy in London, with Mr C. P. Srivastava, Secretary-General of IMO (Fig. 1).

Mr Srivastava said: "The 1973/78 MARPOL instruments are not only the most important anti-ponution measures ever adopted internationally but they are also the most compre- hensive. They deal not only with pol- lution by oil, but cover also pollution by chemicals, ships' garbage and sewage and other substances."

"The entry into force of the legal regime in these instruments will no doubt enable the international com- munity to tackle the problem of pol- lution from ships more effectively

than it has been possible hitherto. Today is, therefore, a major milestone for IMO and the global environmen- tal effort. I am delighted and grateful to the Italian Government and the fourteen other Governments for accepting this treaty and making this achievement possible."

The original 1973 Convention was a well-considered attempt to eliminate pollution of the seas from ships al- most at one stroke. Unfortunately highly complex technical problems, primarily in connexion with the mea- sures designed to prevent pollution by chemicals, were such that most countries were unable to accept and implement the Convention in the time-frame originally envisaged.

In 1977 a series of accidents in- volving oil tankers led to IMO con- vening a conference on tanker safety

*Courtesy IMO Briefing, London. **The 15 countries which have accepted

MARPOL 73•78 are: Colombia, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Italy, Liberia, Norway, Peru, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Yugoslavia. Their fleets represent 53.65 percent of world gross tonnage.

58 The Environmentalist