4 Albert EmbankmentLondon SE1 7SRUnited Kingdom

Tel +44 (0)20 7735 7611Fax +44 (0)20 7587 3210Email info@imo.org

www.imo.org

PartnershipsGloBallast

www.theGEF.org

Global Alliances for Marine Biosafety

globallast.imo.org

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www.imo.org

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This 2009 edition reproduces:

• the text of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004;

• four Conference resolutions adopted at the International Conference on Ballast Water Management for Ships held at IMO’s Headquarters in London from 9 to 13 February 2004; and

• fourteen sets of Guidelines for the uniform implementation of the Convention developed and adopted by MEPC from July 2005 to October 2008.

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Ballast Water Management

Conventionand the guidelines

for its implementation2009 EDITION

cost-effective ballast water technology solutions.

The project is being implemented by UNDP and executed by IMO, under the GEF International Waters portfolio, using a multi-component, multi-tiered approach involving global, regional and country-specific partners, representing government, industry and non-governmental organizations (NGOs):

• A global component, managed through a Programme Coordination Unit at IMO in London, providing international coordination and information dissemination, including the development of toolkits and guidelines, and establishing a strong co-operation with industry and NGOs.

• A regional component, providing regional coordination and harmonization, information sharing, training, and capacity building in the application of ballast water management tools and guidelines. This tier is coordinated with the support of Regional Coordinating Organizations (RCOs) in each of the priority regions: REMPEC (Mediterranean), RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe (Caribbean), CPPS (CPPS plus Argentina), PERSGA (Red Sea and Gulf Of Aden), IGCC/GCLME-RCU (West and Central Africa) and SPREP (South Pacific).

• A significant country component, that establishes a fast track (Lead Partner Country-LPC) and partner track (Partner Country-PC) process for developing countries in the priority regions to initiate legal, policy and institutional reforms to address the issue and to implement the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments.

15 countries, from 5 high priority regions, are taking a lead partnering role focusing especially on legal, policy and institutional reform. All told, more than 70 countries in 14 regions across the globe are

directly or indirectly participating and benefiting from the project.

Most technical assistance activities are undertaken with

the backstopping and technical support of the IMO-Marine

Environment Division and its Biosafety Section, and with significant

co-financing support from Regional Coordinating Organizations,

Lead Partnering and Partnering Countries of the Project, the

Global Industry Alliance, the IMO-ITCP Programme and other

external donors.

An important component of the GBP is the emphasis on public-

private sector partnerships. As an example, private sector

participation is achieved through the Global Industry Alliance (GIA)

and the GIA Fund, established with partners from major maritime

companies. GBP has also joined hands with the European Bank

for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to roll out a number

of capacity building activities for ships’ Ballast Water Management

within the shipping and port industry sectors in selected countries.

For up to date information about GBP activities, and to access

publications, awareness raising materials and other information

resources, please visit the GBP website globallast.imo.org or

contact the Programme Coordination Unit directly.

GloBallast Partnerships PCU

International Maritime Organization

4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 7611 • Email: fhaag@imo.org

http://globallast.imo.org

For latest news, follow us on Twitter @GloBallast

The full title of this project is Building Partnerships to Assist Developing Countries to Reduce the Transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water. It is more simply referred to as GloBallast Partnerships (GBP). In 2010, the Project was extended

for a further two years, until 2014.

GloBallast goalsGBP’s main aim is to assist developing countries to reduce the risk of aquatic bio-invasions mediated by ships’ ballast water and sediments. By promoting the uniform implementation of the 2004 IMO Ballast Water Management Convention, the aim is that all partnering countries, by the end of the project, can demonstrate a significant improvement in legal, policy and institutional structures, which will in turn reduce the risk of ballast water borne marine bioinvasions. GBP provides the necessary tools, expertise and resources to:

• ensure that key national stakeholders (government agencies and ministries, shipping companies, training institutes, academia) and policy-makers are up-to-date with the requirements of the 2004 Ballast Water Management Convention,

• support countries in their efforts to effect legal policy and institutional reforms to implement the Ballast Water Management Convention,

• expand government and port management capacities,

• develop mechanisms for sustainability,

• drive regional coordination, harmonization and cooperation,

• prepare countries for compliance with the requirements of the

Convention, and

• promote collaboration with industry to facilitate the successful

transfer of new technologies.

GloBallast work – Expected outcomesGloBallast Partnerships has four key expected outcomes:

• Learning, evaluation and adaptive management increased.

• Ballast Water Management Strategies in place, with legal,

policy and institutional reforms developed, implemented and

sustained at national level.

• Knowledge management tools and marine monitoring systems

are effectively utilized to expand global public awareness and

stakeholder support, improve understanding of ballast water

impacts on marine ecology, and enhance maritime sector

communications.

• Public–private partnerships developed to spur the development of

GloBallast PartnershipsBuilding capacities in Developing Countries to address the transfer of invasive species from ships’ ballast water and sediments

In 2007, following the success of the original Global Ballast Water Management Project, IMO once more joined forces with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Member Governments and the shipping industry to implement a five-year follow-up project, to sustain the global momentum in tackling the ballast water problem and to catalyze innovative global partnerships to develop solutions.