APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP OF THE IHO FROM THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA AND THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU

IHB Files No. S1/4906 & S1/4832 CIRCULAR LETTER 32/2015 13 April 2015 APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP OF THE IHO FROM THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA AND THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU Dear Hydrographer, 1. The Directing Committee is pleased to announce that applications for membership of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) have recently been received by the Government of the Principality of Monaco from the Governments of the Republic of Malta and the Republic of Vanuatu. 2. The Government of the Principality of Monaco, as Depositary for the Convention on the IHO, has initiated action to obtain the approval of the Member Governments of the IHO, in accordance with Article XX of the Convention on the IHO. This means that the Government of Monaco will contact all eligible Governments of the Member States of the IHO through formal diplomatic channels seeking approval for Malta and Vanuatu to become members of the IHO. A copy of the diplomatic request will be provided separately to Hydrographers for ease of reference. 3. In accordance with the number of Member States eligible to vote on the date of Malta’s application, with three States currently suspended (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic and Serbia), the approval of 53 Member States will be required 4. In the case of Vanuatu, the total number of Member States eligible to vote on the date of application includes the two new Member States, Georgia and Viet Nam, which results in 54 approvals being required. 5. IHO Member States that have ratified the Protocol of Amendments to the Convention on the IHO and those that have joined recently are reminded that the Protocol that they have already approved, but has yet to enter into force, includes a provision under which the application of any Member State of the United Nations, such as Malta and Vanuatu, would in future be automatic and not require the approval process described above. In that context, and as a logical consequence, the Directing Committee anticipates that those States that have already approved the Protocol of Amendments will be able to speedily approve the current applications of Malta and Vanuatu. 6. You are kindly requested to contact the appropriate officials in your Government with the responsibility for considering the approval of requests for membership of the IHO and to urge them to take action as soon as possible. If your Government approves these applications for membership of the IHO, the official notification should be sent directly to the Government of Monaco through the appropriate diplomatic channels with a copy of such notification being sent to the Bureau. On behalf of the Directing Committee Yours sincerely, Robert WARD President