RECALLING Article 15(j) of the Convention on the International
Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Assembly in
relation to regulations and guidelines concerning maritime safety
and the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships,
RECALLING ALSO that one of the goals of the Organization
is to ensure the consistent and effective implementation of IMO instruments
globally and compliance with their requirements,
RECALLING FURTHER that, since 2004, the Strategic Plan for
the Organization has promoted the effective use of information and
communication technology and the availability of, and access to, information
relating to ship safety and security and environmental protection
(i.e. transparency),
NOTING WITH SATISFACTION that the Secretariat of the Organization
launched the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS)
in 2005, in order to allow direct reporting by Member States in compliance
with existing requirements and access to data compiled by the Secretariat,
NOTING ALSO that, since 2006, the biennial priorities of
the Organization have highlighted the role of GISIS in the creation
of a knowledge and information-based Organization through improved
management and dissemination of information making use of appropriate
technology,
APPRECIATING that, since the launch of GISIS, the Secretariat
of the Organization has been increasing the number of modules released
and under development, together with expanded reporting, access and
search facilities in order to enhance the supporting role of the system
for the fulfilment of the mandate of the Organization concerning maritime
safety and security and environmental protection,
RECOGNIZING the fact that the system relies heavily on the
active participation of Member States, in particular regarding their
compliance with mandatory reporting requirements, as well as the provision
of data on a voluntary basis,
RECOGNIZING ALSO the importance of GISIS as a high-quality,
comprehensive and up-to-date centralized repository of information
relevant to all areas of the Organization's work and potentially that
of other agencies of the United Nations, as appropriate,
RECOGNIZING FURTHER that GISIS aims at facilitating, inter
alia, Member States' compliance with reporting requirements;
coordination with relevant intergovernmental organizations, internal
processes of review and validation of data; research on trends; statistical
analysis, decision-making and monitoring of the Organization's performance
in the framework of the Strategic Plan,
HAVING CONSIDERED the contributing role of the IMO Committees
and their subsidiary bodies to the development of the system,
1. EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION to those Member
States that are already significantly involved in the population of
data into the system;
2. URGES Member States and intergovernmental organizations
to make ample use of the facilities for the reporting and transfer
of data into the system, to be reviewed by relevant IMO organs for
consistency with the requirements contained in international instruments,
as appropriate;
3. ALSO URGES Member States specifically to use
GISIS reporting facilities to sustain and, even, enhance compliance
with mandatory reporting requirements, as contained in those mandatory
instruments to which they are Parties, thereby potentially assisting
them in the context of the Voluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme;
4. FURTHER URGES Member States to make as much
use as possible of the GISIS reporting facilities regarding data to
be provided on a non-mandatory basis and to support the development
and harmonization of the collection of data provided voluntarily;
5. CALLS UPON Member States to work towards the
improvement of the quality of the data being collected through GISIS
by implementing comprehensive validation processes when entering data
into the system;
6. ENCOURAGES Member States, the IMO organs, international
organizations and all other stakeholders of the global maritime community
to raise awareness of the existing and potential use of GISIS, including
to the maritime industry as well as to the public, not only for compliance
with reporting requirements, but also as a tool to support research
work and the adoption of international and national policies on maritime
safety and security and environmental protection;
7. REQUESTS the Secretary-General to continue
developing the system in close cooperation with Member States, the
IMO organs, international organizations and all other stakeholders
of the global maritime community, as appropriate.