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The Tsunami Alert Centre of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CAT-INGV) operates as a Tsunami Service Provider certified by the ICG/NEAMTWS (Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas) which is an integral part of the global tsunami risk warning and mitigation system, established and coordinated by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.

Furthermore, following the 2017 "SiAM" PCM Directive, the INGV performs the functions of National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) and of Tsunami Warning Focal Point (TWFP) for Italy.

The IOC-UNESCO Tsunami Programme

The IOC-UNESCO Tsunami Programme, which operates through the coordination of regional meetings, capacity building and support activities to national and regional projects, is a key stakeholder for reducing tsunami risk at global level.

The IOC and UNESCO have set up four Intergovernmental Coordination Groups (IGCs), corresponding to (1) the Pacific Ocean, (2) the Indian Ocean, (3) the Caribbean Sea and (4) the North-East Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea (with connected seas), to respond to particular regional needs.

During its 24th session (Resolution XXIV-14), the IOC Assembly also instituted a working group on tsunamis and other hazards related to the alert, risk mitigation and sea level monitoring systems (TOWS working group), which addresses the governing bodies of the IOC on the coordinated development of an alert and mitigation system for tsunamis and other sea level risks of common interest to all ICGs. In February 2018 a meeting of all monitoring centres operating worldwide and in the Member States was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.