Indian Coast Guard participates at HACGAM in Istanbul, Türkiye
In Istanbul, Turkey, from September 5–8, 2023, the Indian Coast Guard took part in the 19th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM). With 23 members from Coast Guard Agencies and 02 associate members in the form of ReCAAP and UNODC, the ICG delegation of four people was led by DG Rakesh Pal, Director General of the Indian Coast Guard.
A number of crucial issues, such as maritime law enforcement, safety and security of life at sea, marine environment protection, illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people at sea, etc., were discussed during the three-day High-Level Meeting, in which heads of Coast Guards from all participating countries took part, and avenues for further cooperation were explored through the framing of the agenda. The summit decided to strengthen Asian Coast Guards' marine cooperation even more.
This multilateral event is a spinoff of a Japanese attempt to encourage collaboration among regional coast guards following the Indian Coast Guard's capture of the pirate ship MV Alondra Rainbow in November 1999. In order to guarantee and promote safe, secure, and clean seas in the region, the HACGAM principally focuses on strengthening cooperation between the Coast Guards of the member Asian governments.To enable a targeted and goal-oriented approach towards coordinated reaction and synergy towards common marine concerns, the forum consists of four Working Groups. The Indian Coast Guard leads the Search and Rescue (SAR) Working Group and actively participates in the other Working Groups, including the Controlling Unlawful Acts at Sea, Information Sharing, and Environmental Protection. In 2022, New Delhi hosted the HACGAM's last event.