24. INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT: IBRD 

 Established in 1945 and commonly called the World Bank, IBRD is 



empowered to lend funds to facilitate international trade, raise 

 living standards, finance productive investments when private capital 

 is not available, and provide technical assistance to developing 

 countries. It lends assistance and capital for fishery programs, 

 for improvement of maritime safety, for port and coastal develop- 

 ments, and exploration and use of marine mineral resources. 



In view of the emphasis on the protection of the environment, an 

 Office of the Environmental Adviser was created in 1970 within IBRD 

 to examine projects proposed for funding in order to detect in ad- 

 vance and either cancel or modify projects that might adversely 

 affect the environment. 



25. INTER-GOVERNMENTAL MARITIME CONSULTATIVE ORGANIZATION: IMCO 

 Established in 195 9, IMCO is mainly concerned with maritime 



safety and coordinates work relating to atomic propulsion, aviation, 

 health, labor, meteorology, oceanography, and telecommunications. 

 Since the Torrey Canyon sinking in 1967, it has been especially con- 

 cerned with oil pollution of the seas and collects and disseminates 

 technical information on oil pollution, sets standards for the ship- 

 ment of oil and the prevention of oil spills, and sponsors conven- 

 tions on these matters. It has also been asked to be concerned with 

 the prevention of pollution <iaused by all discharges from sea-going 

 vessels. Its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) has 

 cognizance over matters pertaining to oil spills and other aspects 

 of marine pollution. 



In 1976 the International Conference on the Establishment of an 

 International Maritime Satellite System (INMARISAT) concluded an 

 agreement to establish under the auspices of IMCO an International 

 Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT) that will administer a 

 worldwide system for maritime communications. 



IMCO is also concerned with and has developed programs concerned 

 with Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Together with IHO it is develop- 

 ing a Worldwide Radio Navigation Warning System (WRNWS) for the 

 rapid dissemination of navigational data on an organized interna- 

 tional cooperative basis. 



26. INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION: ICAO 

 Established in 1947 to develop principles and techniques for 



international air navigation, ICAO was also responsible for super- 

 vising the North Atlantic Ocean Stations (NAOS) agreement under 

 which a network of multination ocean weather observation ships pro- 

 vided weather information, search and rescue aid, navigation, and 

 communication services to aircraft flying across the ocean. By 

 agreement, NAOS vessels also made oceanographic observations. In 

 1974, the program was severely curtailed and responsibilities for 

 its continuation were transferred to the World Meteorological 

 Organization. 



27. WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION: WMO 



Formally established in 1951, WMO succeeded the International 

 Meteorological Organization (IMO), a nongovernmental organization 

 established in 1873 and abolished in 1951. Shortly after it was 

 established, WMO was recognized as a U.N. specialized agency. 



WMO's broad responsibilities include the Coordination, standardi- 

 zation, and improvement of meteorological services throughout the 

 world. Marine meteorology is an especially important service, and 

 international interests in marine meteorology date back to the 



