Ireland Elected to the Council of IALA

Ireland has been elected to the Council of IALA, the International Organisation for Marine Aids to Navigation. IALA was founded in 1957 and has recently transitioned into an inter-governmental organization. The Irish Government ratified the IALA Convention in May 2023, marking a milestone in Ireland’s commitment to international co-operation in maritime safety and to shaping the future of global navigation.

The election of Ireland to the new IALA Council took place during the inter-governmental organization's inaugural General Assembly in Singapore on February 20, 2025. Ireland will be represented on the Council by the Chief Executive of the Commissioners of Irish Lights, Yvonne Shields O’Connor.

As a member of the IALA Council and a member of the IALA technical committees, Ireland will play a role in shaping global maritime navigation standards, including advancements in marine aids to navigation, digitalization, climate adaptation, navigation risk assessment and harmonization of safety standards. Irish Lights, in collaboration with the Department of Transport, will work with international partners to ensure Aids to Navigation (AtoN) are a key priority for maritime safety, Marine Spatial Planning and the protection of the marine environment.

Ireland’s role on the IALA Council will focus on key strategic areas critical to the future of maritime navigation. These include addressing the impact of climate change on maritime operations by ensuring that the AtoN Network is adaptable and resilient, advancing the agenda in 2027 at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27) on global maritime communications, and facilitating collaboration with the International Hydrographic Organisation to implement the S-100 Universal Hydrographic Data Model and support emerging digital navigation services.