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Capacity Building Committee
Chairman: Capitan de Navio , Ana Rosensil Suarez Pacheco (Venezuela)

The Capacity Building Committee (CBC) of the MesoAmerican-Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission (MACHC) was formed to assess and assist in sustainable development and improvement of the States of the MACHC Region and in particular to assist coastal states within the Region to improve capacity building of hydrographic offices and with hydrographic activities in support of the safety of navigation. MACHC-CBC is closely related with the IHO-CBC and acts in accordance with the IHO-CBC strategic plan and identifies requirements and action plans to contribute to capacity building in this region.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the MACHC-CBC are to:

  • Meet the objectives of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO),
  • Contribute and assist with the sustainable development and improvement of the states, to meet the objectives of the IHO and the hydrography, cartography and  Maritime Safety obligations and recommendations described in UNCLOS, SOLAS V, and other international instruments,
  • Awareness (to be developed)
  • Assess the hydrographic surveying, nautical charting and nautical information status in the region in accordance with S55,
  • Develop the Regional Hydrographic and Cartographic Program (RHCP),
  • Manage the progress of the RHCP,
  • Report to the MACHC the status of the implementation of the RHCP,
  • Make recommendations to the MACHC for necessary action and
  • Investigate other international instruments.

Authority

The Capacity Building Committee (CBC) is a special Committee of the MesoAmerican – Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission (MACHC).  Its membership and activities are in accordance with the Statutes of the MACHC.

Composition and Chairmanship

The MACHC-CBC membership consists of representatives from the MACHC, including:

  • Full Members (IHO Member States within the Region who are signatories of the Statutes of the MACHC)
  • Associate Members (Regional Non-IHO Members who are signatories of the Statutes of the MACHC)

a. Representatives of entities and/or organizations, which, in the opinion of the Committee, can provide relevant and constructive contributions to the work of the MACHC-CBC, may be invited to participate as advisors.

b. The MACHC-CBC will be chaired by a representative of a Member State. The Chair and the Vice Chair shall be chosen by the MACHC, and will serve for a period of two years. Selections of the Chair and Vice Chair should occur at the first meeting of the Committee after a Commission meeting. If no Committee meeting is scheduled, selections shall be conducted within one year after the Commission meeting and shall be initiated by the existing Chair.

c. All members should inform the Chairman in advance of their intention to attend meetings of the MACHC-CBC.  Irrespective of their attendance, all MACHC members must submit National Reports for each MACHC-CBC meeting.

Procedures

  • Meetings shall be conducted by the MACHC-CBC Chair (or Vice-Chair in his/her absence) and shall generally be held in conjunction with MACHC meetings. Alternatively, the Chairman may call intersessional meetings as considered necessary or at the request of the majority of participants. A participating member shall normally provide meeting facilities and administrative support. Notification of meetings and an agenda with supporting materials will be distributed to participants and associated designated attendees at least 30 days in advance of a meeting. Action items and decisions will be identified at the end of each meeting.
  • Decisions should generally be made by consensus.. Decisions shall be determined by simple majority of those present, or if by correspondence, by the majority of replies received within a pre-determined time frame.
  • The MACHC-CBC should work by correspondence, meetings, workshops or symposia. The MACHC-CBC should meet at least once a year. In years when the full Commission meets, the MACHC-CBC shall meet in conjunction with the Commission.
  • Task Groups may be established by the MACHC-CBC to undertake detailed work on specific assigned topics. Specific actions for those Task Groups may be formulated and distributed to all MACHC-CBC members and appended to this document for reference.
  • The MACHC-CBC meetings shall generally be conducted in English, unless all the participants agree otherwise and as resources permit. Minutes shall be produced in English, and Spanish, if resources permit.
  • Within 30 days after a meeting, the Chair will promulgate minutes of meetings, including details associated with the decisions and actions. Documents will be provided on the MACHC web site.
  • Amendments to these terms of reference may be made at any time by concurrence of the participating members.  MACHC will be informed of any changes made.

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