UNESCO’s Director General visited Chile’s Tsunami Early Warning Provider

SHOA acts as the IOC-UNESCO focal point and is the national agency responsible for tsunami warnings in Chile. SHOA is very active in the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (PTWS), one of the four regions of the Global Tsunami Warning System coordinated by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO). In close cooperation with the UNESCO Office in Santiago, the IOC has strongly supported the reinforcement of SHOA and national stakeholders on tsunami warning and mitigation aspects.

During her tour of the SHOA facilities, the Director-General expressed her satisfaction with the work carried out towards the development of science and prediction of sea behavior in the event of a tsunami on the Chilean coast. The Director-General has also highlighted the Chilean Government’s commitment to protect a significant percentage of its maritime territory under the legal categories of marine reserves and parks.

The UNESCO delegation was received by the Director of the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy, Commodore Arturo Oxley, who made a presentation on the most relevant aspects of SHOA’s work.

In the course of his presentation, Commodore A. Oxley highlighted the important work carried out by SHOA together with the national and international scientific community towards the promotion and dissemination of knowledge about the ocean area under Chile’s national jurisdiction as illustrated by the work of the CIMAR Marine Research Cruises, which this year are headed to the Pacific Islands region.

In addition, the SHOA Director emphasized the work through the National Oceanographic Committee (CONA) to direct scientific concerns and projects towards increasing knowledge of marine resources and opportunities. This includes the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), which since 2021 has invited the world community to create new research networks that can help deliver a sustainable and healthier marine environment.