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-XXVIII, the following Officers were elected, and Working Groups and Task Teams established
Chairperson
Dr. Wilfried Strauch (INETER, Nicaragua)
Vice-chairpersons
Mr Ofa Fa’Anunu (Meteorological & Coast Radio Services, Tonga)
Mr Yuji Nishimae (Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan)
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 Ms Lara Bland (New Zealand), Vice-Chair Dr Charles McCreery (USA)
Working Group 3 - Disaster Risk Management and Preparedness - Chair Mr David Coetzee (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 Dr Silvia Chacon (Costa Rica) and Vice-Chair Ms Griselda Marroquin (El Salvador)
Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System in the South East Pacific Region - Chair Ms. Mary Luz Rengifo (Colombia) and Vice-Chair Lt Cdr Carlos Zuniga (Chile)
Pacific Island Countries and Territories Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System - Chair Dr. Jerome Aucan (France- New Caledonia), Vice-Chair Mrs Esline Garaebiti (Vanuatu)
Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System in the South China Sea Region - Chair Mr. Chan Sai-Tick (China), Vice-Chair to be elected
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 PacWave20 Exercise - Co-Chairs Mr Emilio Talavera Emilio Talavera (Nicaragua), Dr Laura Kong (ITIC, USA)