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 Previous: ARES Supports National Weather Service, Red Cross in Flooding's Wake |  Next: The K7RA Solar Update |
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 20, 2005--When an international disaster strikes, humanitarian organizations now will be able to provide telecommunications more quickly and effectively to help victims. The Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations, which became effective January 8, largely eliminates roadblocks to moving telecommunications personnel and equipment into and within disaster-stricken areas--such as those affected by the December earthquake and tsunami. Delegates to the Intergovernmental Conference on Emergency Telecommunications (ICET-98) adopted the 17-article treaty in June of 1998 in Tampere, Finland, and ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ--in his role as International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Secretary--was among those attending ICET-98. ARRL Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, credits Hans Zimmermann, HB9AQS, with being one "a prime mover" behind the Tampere Convention.
 IARU International Coordinator for Emergency Communications Hans Zimmermann, HB9AQS. |
"The Tampere Convention has broader purposes but is an important building block in IARU's efforts to improve recognition of the Amateur Service in providing emergency communications for disaster relief," Rinaldo says. Zimmermann coordinated work on the Tampere disaster telecommunications treaty. Seppo Sisättö, OH1VR, chaired the organizing committee for the Tampere Convention. Amateur Radio's role in emergency communication received high praise in an opinion adopted by the Second Tampere Conference on Disaster Communication in May 2001, where several speakers lauded the work of amateurs in the wake of disasters.
Rinaldo notes too that the IARU led the way for a revision of Article 25 of the international Radio Regulations at World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03) to include an item enabling radio amateurs to handle third-party communications during emergency and disaster relief situations. While FCC Part 97 has not yet been revised to reflect this change, ARRL understands from FCC staff that if the government agencies responsible for the Amateur Service in disaster-affected countries do not object to their amateur stations receiving messages from our amateur stations on behalf of third parties, the US has no objection to its amateur stations transmitting international communications in support of disaster relief.
A government may determine the applicability of this provision to amateur stations under its jurisdiction. This could include either permitting a broader range of international third-party communications, or prohibiting even emergency and disaster relief communications.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says that until the Tampere Convention, regulatory barriers often impeded the ability of humanitarian organizations to deploy telecommunications equipment across borders in an emergency, and delays have cost lives.
"In emergency situations, telecommunication saves lives," ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi said in a statement. "With this convention, relief workers can make full use of today's telecommunication tools, which are essential for the coordination of rescue operations."
The first treaty of
its kind, the Tampere Convention calls on signatory countries to facilitate
prompt telecommunication aid to mitigate a disaster's impact. It covers both
installation and operation of telecommunication services and waives regulatory
barriers such as licensing requirements and import restrictions as well as
limitations on the movement of humanitarian teams. The pact also grants
immunity from arrest and detention to those providing disaster assistance, and
exempts them from taxes and duties.
 ARRL Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI. |
At the time of ICET-98, Zimmerman was serving in the United Nations Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva. When Zimmerman retired, IARU President Larry Price, W4RA, appointed Zimmerman as IARU International Coordinator for Emergency Communications.
In his new role, and working with IARU regional coordinators, Zimmermann is focusing on assisting IARU member-societies to fulfill "the expectations of the international community, of all those who rely on telecommunications when responding to emergencies, and of those affected by disasters." As a first step in this task, he's facilitating an exchange of information on training and cooperation on all levels. Addressing that in a broader forum will be the first Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC-2005). An initiative of the Finnish Amateur Radio Society (SRAL), GAREC 2005 will take place June 13-14 in Tampere, in recognition of the city's "long tradition in emergency telecommunications," Zimmerman says.
Rinaldo also points to ITU Radiocommunication Sector Recommendation M.1042, "Disaster Communications in the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services" as another vehicle to formalize Amateur Radio's role in international emergency and disaster mitigation. It encourages the development of "robust, flexible and independent" Amateur Radio networks that can operate from emergency power and provide communication in natural disasters. The recommendation also urges amateur organizations to "encourage and promote the design of robust systems capable of providing communication during disasters and relief operations," and advocates allowing such organizations to test these networks periodically during non-emergency periods.
Rinaldo further points to the IARU's leading role in developing the ITU-D Emergency Telecommunications Handbook, recently edited under Zimmermann's leadership.
"Together," Rinaldo
observed, "the Tampere Convention, the Handbook,
Article 25 and Recommendation M.1042
represent an improved environment in which Amateur Radio operators can conduct
international emergency communications."
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