On March 26, Handover ceremony of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) equipment to the Information Fusion Center (IFC) was held at the Sri Lanka Navy Headqurters in Colombo, at which IFC is established.

Ambassador MIZUKOSHI attended the event along with Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, and Ms. Pernille Rasmussen, Programme Coordinator, Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) of UNODC, among other high ranking officials and staff from both organizations. The MDA equipment was donated by the Government of Japan through GMCP.

IFC is playing a pivotal role as a principal organization to deal with numerous maritime challenges such as illicit activities and environmental issues at sea by collecing, analyzing as well as sharing information with local and international stakeholders, which enhances MDA of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The Government of Japan, in collaboration with GMCP, has been continuously extending support for IFC to strengthen its MDA capacity by installing a wide range of equipment including maritime surveillance radars, thermal cameras and CPUs in different stages. The latest equipment provided will not only improve Sri Lanka’s response to maritime criminality but also contribute to strengthening the rule of law as well as peace and stability of the region, which are the holding pillars of a Free and Open Indo Pacific.

Official website of IFC was also launched on the same occasion. (https://www.ifccolmbo.org)