The Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/PTWS) first convened in 1968. The ICG/PTWS was renamed from the International Coordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific (ICG/ITSU) in 2005 to an intergovernmental body focusing on commitments of member states to continually embrace the comprehensive nature of tsunami risk reduction. The guidelines for the PTWS activities are compiled in the PTWS Implementation Plan (under revision).
At the ICG/PTWS-XXIX, the following Officers were elected, and Working Groups and Task Teams established
Chairperson
Mr Yuji Nishimae (Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan)
Vice-chairpersons
Dr Wilfried Strauch (INETER, Nicaragua)
Mr David Coetzee (Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management)
Working Groups
The Intergovernmental Coordination Group meets regularly to establish and implement working plans in the Pacific region. To address specific technical issues it has formed three sessional working groups, four regional working groups and six task teams:
Working Group 1 - Understanding Tsunami Risk - Co-Chairs Dr Diego Arcas (USA), Ms Sarah-Jayne McCurrach (New Zealand)
Working Group 2 - Tsunami Detection, Warning and Dissemination - Chair Dr Bill Fry (New Zealand), Vice-Chair to be elected
Working Group 3 - Disaster Risk Management and Preparedness - Chair Ms Ashleigh Fromont (New Zealand), Vice-Chair Dr Laura Kong (ITIC, USA)
Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System on the Central American Pacific Coast - Chair Ms Griselda Marroquin (El Salvador) and Vice-Chair Dr Silvia Chacon (Costa Rica)
Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System in the South East Pacific Region - Chair Lt Fausto Bravo (Chile) and Vice-Chair Mr Marcelo Acosta (Ecuador)
Pacific Island Countries and Territories Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System - Chair Mrs Esline Garaebiti (Vanuatu), Vice-Chair Mr Mathew Moihoi (Papua New Guinea)
Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System in the South China Sea Region - Chair Mr Dakui Wang (China), Vice-Chair Ms Suci Anugrah (Indonesia)
Task Team on Future Goals and Performance Monitoring - Chair Ms Sarah-Jayne McCurrach (New Zealand) and Vice-Chair Ms Mary Rengifo (Colombia)
Task Team on PacWave Exercises - Co-Chairs Mr Emilio Talavera (Nicaragua) and Ms Margarita Martinez (Chile)