Indian Coast Guard (ICG) being the key member of the Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) is participating in the 20th HACGAM High Level Meeting from 03-04 Sep 24 at Incheon, South Korea. The 03 member ICG delegation is led by Inspector General MV Pathak, PTM, TM. This meeting is an annual event hosted by one of the members in rotation. HACGAM is an independent forum with 23 member Coast Guard Agencies and 02 associate members in the form of ReCAAP and UNODC.
This multilateral forum is an offshoot of the Japanese initiative to promote cooperation amongst regional Coast Guards, after the capture of the pirated vessel MV Alondra Rainbow by the ICG in Nov 1999. HACGAM primarily focuses on fostering cooperation between the Coast Guards of the member Asian states to ensure and promote safe, secure and clean seas in the region. HACGAM comprises of four Working Groups to enable focused and goal oriented approach towards coordinated response and synergy towards common maritime issues. ICG is the chair of Search and Rescue (SAR) Working Group and a proactive member of the other Working Groups which include Environmental Protection, Controlling Unlawful Acts at Sea and Information sharing.
During the ongoing High Level Meeting being conducted for two days, various issues of significance, such as maritime law enforcement, safety and security of life at sea, marine environment protection, illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons and humans at sea etc is being discussed and avenues for further cooperation are being explored through framing of agenda.
On the side-lines of the 20th HACGAM, the 12th annual High Level Meeting between ICG and Korea Coast Guard was also conducted on 04 Sep 24 under the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two agencies in Mar 2006. The meeting focused on augmenting operational level interaction and capacity building in areas of Maritime Search & Rescue, Pollution Response and Maritime Law Enforcement. The meeting was significant in providing added impetus to the existing professional relationship between the two Coast Guards.
This annual bilateral meeting is in continuation of the efforts by the governments of the two countries to enhance cooperation between the Coast Guards in the field of maritime safety and security at sea. During the meeting, both sides agreed to strengthen the mutual cooperation in accordance with the provisions of the MoU. Sharing of best practices and continuation of professional exchanges were agreed upon during the meeting.
