International SAR day celebrated for the first time
Recognising the dedication of SAR professionals
Having accepted a proposal from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Cospas-Sarsat Council has designated the 10th September as Cospas-Sarsat Global Search and Rescue Day in recognition of the dedication of search and rescue (SAR) professionals and 2025 represents the first observation of the day.
The day marks is significant as the anniversary of the first save by the Cospas-Sarsat System in 1982, an act that validated worldwide the operational soundness of the system for saving lives.
The International Cospas-Sarsat Programme is a satellite-based search and rescue (SAR) distress alert detection and information distribution system, best known for detecting and locating emergency beacons activated by aircraft, ships and backcountry hikers in distress.
The International Cospas-Sarsat Programme (the Programme) began as a joint effort of Canada, France, the United States, and the former Soviet Union in 1979. It was formally constituted as an intergovernmental organisation in 1988 through the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme Agreement (the Agreement or ICSPA) signed by the four “Parties” to the Agreement: Canada, France, the USA and the former USSR. The Russian Federation replaced the USSR as Party to the Agreement in January 1992.
Including the four Parties to the Agreement, 43 States and two organisations are now currently formally associated with the Programme and actively participate in the management and the operation of the Cospas-Sarsat System (the System).
Cospas-Sarsat cooperates with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the International Maritime Organisation, the International Telecommunication Union and other international organisations to ensure the compatibility of the Cospas-Sarsat distress alerting services with the needs, the standards and the applicable recommendations of the international community.
African participants include:
■ Algeria: Ministry of Defence, Search and Rescue Services
■ Nigeria: National Emergency Management Agency
■ South Africa: South African Maritime Safety Agency (SAMSA)
■ Togo: Le Premier ministre de la République togolaise
■ Tunisia: Ministry of Transport (DGAC)
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