The Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWS) was formed in response to the tragic tsunami on December 26^th 2004, in which over 250,000 lives were lost around the Indian Ocean region. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) received a mandate from the international community to coordinate the establishment of the System during the course of several international and regional meetings, including the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (Kobe, Japan, 18 – 22 January 2005), and the Phuket Ministerial Meeting on Regional Cooperation on Tsunami Early Warning Arrangements (Phuket, Thailand, 28 and 29 January 2005). The IOC Assembly, during its twenty-third Session (21-30 June 2005), formally established the ICG/IOTWS through Resolution IOC-XXIII-12.

UNESCO’s immediate response includes an interim tsunami advisory information system in place under the aegis of the IOC of UNESCO, in cooperation with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) from the USA and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) from Japan, as of 1 April 2005.

All participating countries receive international tsunami warnings from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) except Somalia, and most countries receive these warnings at facilities with back-up systems for receiving warning messages that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Intergovernmental Coordination Group meets regularly to establish and implement working plans in the Indian Ocean. The next meeting is scheduled for April 2008 in Malaysia.