Structure
The principal decision and policy-making body of ICES is the Council. The Council consists of a President and two Delegates from each of the 20 member nations. Delegates elect the President, First Vice-President, and five additional Vice-Presidents (all for three-year terms) to comprise the Bureau or Executive Committee. The Bureau is responsible for carrying out the Council's decisions, preparing and convening Council meetings, formulating Council budgets, appointing a Secretariat staff, and performing other tasks as assigned by the Council. A Finance Committee consisting of five Delegates provides oversight to the Council’s fiscal matters. Delegates are also responsible for appointing a General Secretary, who serves as the Council's chief executive officer and is charged with managing the Council's Secretariat facilities and staff, finances, meetings, reports, publications, and communications.
The Council's scientific work is accomplished by various committees and working groups. During the long history of ICES, the committee and working group structure has changed periodically to reflect the needs of the time. At present, there is an Advisory Committee (ACOM) that provides advice to clients on fisheries and marine ecosystem issues, a Science Committee (SCICOM; formally the Consultative Committee as established in the ICES Convention) that oversees all aspects of the scientific work, and steering groups that coordinate the more than 100 expert groups covering most aspects of the marine ecosystem that work under them.
A recently prepared Strategic Plan focuses on science that is broad based, relevant, and farsighted, and providing advice that is rigorous, reliable, and objective. The Plan identifies a Mission which calls for 1) establishing effective arrangements to provide scientific advice; 2) informing interested parties and the public objectively and effectively about marine ecosystem issues; 3) coordinating and enhancing physical, chemical, biological, and interdisciplinary research; 4) fostering partnerships with other organizations that share a common interest; and 5) developing and maintaining accessible marine databases. The Strategic Plan addresses six critical themes: 1) Science, 2) Collaboration, 3) Advice, 4) Data, 5) Communication, and 6) Service support. An Action Plan specifies the activities that will be undertaken over the coming years in order to achieve the goals. It explains how ICES will continue to advance scientific knowledge and improve scientific advice, whereas the goals in the Strategic Plan tell what the overall objectives will be.
Read more about this topic: International Council For The Exploration Of The Sea
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