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A project financed by the Global Environment Facility designed to help developing countries prevent the spread of alien species in the ballast tanks of ships has won recognition for innovation.
The GEF’s GloBallast Partnerships Project, which assists developing countries and their maritime industries for implementation of the international regulations on ballast water management to prevent the spread of alien invasive species, has won the 6th Marine BizTV International Maritime Award for “Best Innovative Project”.
The award was presented during the 6th Marine BizTV International Maritime Award ceremony, held in Dubai, United Arab emirates, on 15 May 2013. Marine BizTV is a 24hr free to air global maritime channel and serves as a information platform for international maritime activities.
The jury, in considering the most innovative and creative achievements of global and regional maritime organizations and their initiatives, agreed to award the IMO-UNDP-GEF GloBallast Partnerships Project the “Best Innovative Project” award for its role in catalyzing the global efforts to find innovative technological solutions for the management of ships’ ballast water and its international position as a successful technical co-operation and capacity building project. The Project is executed by IMO with funding support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
"We are proud that the GloBallast Partnerships Project has received this remarkable recognition," said GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii. "The award places the spotlight on a truly innovative approach that is attracting large scale private sector investment to turn a seemingly intractable environmental threat into a solvable problem. GloBallast is demonstrating how appropriately-directed incentives can bring the private sector to become a key player in solving environmental issues. Such global impact at scale is what I want to see across the entire GEF investment portfolio in the years to come."
The award honoured GloBallast’s global impact in terms of preparing developing countries and their maritime industries for the implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004, its role in assisting the maritime industry to overcome technical challenges through its pioneering Global Industry Alliance (GIA) initiative and for catalyzing significant global efforts to address one of the most pressing environmental issues that the maritime industry is currently facing.
“We’re delighted and thrilled with this special recognition of our work”, said Dr. Jose Matheickal, Chief Technical Adviser of the Project at IMO. “Innovation is firmly anchored in the GloBallast Project’s delivery strategy to go beyond the original goals of the Project. We’re consistently integrating this cornerstone into all our outreach and partnership strategies. This international award is a true recognition of the innovative and championing efforts of our lead partnering countries, regional coordination partners, global strategic partners including GEF and UNDP and members of the Programme Co-ordination Unit at IMO, who all played a key role in making this global project a true success story”.
This is the third international award presented to the GloBallast project since its inception in 2000. In 2003, GloBallast won the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and in 2007, the awareness-raising video documentary, “Invaders from the Sea”, produced by GloBallast jointly with the BBC, won the Gold Award for Best UN Feature Film at the United Nations Documentary Film Festival.
IMO – the International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
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Natasha Brown, External Relations Officer on 020 7587 3274 (media@imo.org ).
UNDP – UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in 177 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.
Web site: www.undp.org/water
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Julie Marks, Communications Specialist
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