Circular Letter 2026/12

2 July 2026

Subject: Call for Proposals for the work programme 2027-2030

To: All Members

Dear Members,

In accordance with the General Regulations, Article 11.8, “Each Committee shall develop and work to a work programme.”

The Secretariat invites all Members to submit proposals for new tasks to be considered for inclusion in the work rogramme 2027–2030.

The work programme is the principal mechanism through which the Organization plans and coordinates its technical activities. It provides a structured framework for the Committees' work, ensuring that activities align with the strategic vision adopted by the General Assembly and that the Organization's resources are focused on delivering priority outcomes.

Operating on a three-year cycle, the work programme establishes the objectives, deliverables, responsibilities, and indicative timelines for the development of standards, recommendations, guidelines, manuals, model courses, and other technical outputs. The programme also provides the basis for establishing working groups and task groups to undertake specific work on behalf of the Committees.

The Secretariat is now commencing the preparation of the next work programme covering the period 2027–2030 and invites proposals for new tasks.

Submission of Task Proposals

Proposed tasks should:

• support the implementation of the strategic vision; • address identified operational, technical, or policy needs of the Members; • avoid duplication of existing or ongoing work; • identify clear and achievable objectives and expected deliverables;

• identify the most appropriate Committee responsible for the work.

Each proposal should be submitted using the attached Task proposal template (Annex A).

The Task proposal example can be found in Annex B.

Review Process

Following receipt of the submissions, the Secretariat will:

• forward the submitted proposals to the relevant Committees for their review and consideration;

• receive the task proposals endorsed by the respective Committees;

• compile the endorsed proposals into a consolidated draft IALA Work Programme;

• submit the consolidated draft Work Programme to the Policy Advisory Panel (PAP) for consideration, including the identification of any cross-committee dependencies and coordination requirements;

• submit the proposed Work Programme through the established process for Council approval.

Submission Deadline

Completed Task Description Templates should be submitted to the Secretariat no later than 04 September 2026 by email to [email protected].

Additional Information

The current work programme and task register are available through the IALA Task Register website and may be consulted when preparing new task proposals to ensure consistency with ongoing activities and to avoid duplication.

Should you require any further information regarding the preparation of task proposals or the work programme process, please do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat at [email protected].

The Secretariat looks forward to receiving your proposals and appreciates your continued contribution to the development of the Organization’s technical work.

ANNEX A TASK PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

Task Proposal

Committee

(select one)

• VTS (Vessel Traffic Services Committee)

• DTEC (Digital Technologies Committee)

• ENG (Engineering and Sustainability Committee)

• ARM (Aids to Navigation Requirements and Management Committee)

Working Group

(select one)

• WG1

• WG2

• WG3

• WG4

Standard

(select one)

• S1010 Marine Aids to Navigation Planning and Service Requirements

• S1020 Marine Aids to Navigation Design and Delivery

• S1030 Radionavigation Services

• S1040 Vessel Traffic Services

• S1050 Training and Certification

• S1060 Digital Communication Technologies

• S1070 Information Services

Topic Area

(select one)

• S1010.1 Obligations and Regulatory Compliance

• S1010.2 Aids to Navigation Planning

• S1010.3 Levels of Service (objective, availability and categories)

• S1010.4 Risk Management

• S1010.5 Quality Management

• S1020.1 Aids to Navigation Visual Signalling

• S1020.2 Design, Implementation, and Maintenance

• S1020.3 Floating Aids to Navigation

• S1020.4 Environment and Sustainability

• S1020.5 Power Systems

• S1020.6 Heritage and Culture

• S1030.1 Satellite Positioning and Timing

• S1030.2 Terrestrial Positioning and Timing

• S1030.3 Augmentation Services

Task Proposal

• S1030.4 Racon and Radar Positioning

• S1040.1 VTS Implementation

• S1040.2 VTS Operations

• S1040.3 VTS Communications

• S1040.4 VTS Auditing and Assessing

• S1040.5 VTS Data and Information Management

• S1040.6 VTS Technologies

• S1040.7 VTS Additional Services

• S1050.1 Training and Assessment

• S1050.2 Accreditation, Competency, Certification

• and Revalidation

• S1050.3 Capacity Building

• S1060.1 Wide and Medium Bandwidth Systems

• S1060.2 Narrow Bandwidth Systems

• S1060.3 Harmonised Maritime Connectivity

• S1070.1 Data Models and Data Encoding

• S1070.2 Data Exchange Systems

• S1070.3 Terminology, Symbology and Portrayal

Task (Name of the task)

Objectives of the task

Expected outcome

(select one)

• Recommendation

• Guideline

• Manual

• Other appropriate paper

Strategic Alignment

(select one or more, as applicable)

• O1 – Innovate, improve, and harmonize Marine Aids to Navigation, constantly reflecting changing technology and system obsolescence, changing user needs, operational imperatives, environmental sustainability, and best practice.

• O2 – Develop applicable international standards, recommendations, and guidelines for adoption and use by its members and other relevant organizations or parties.

• O3 – Offers its members a professional forum to share operational experiences, new techniques and technologies, and issues of common interest and concern.

Task Proposal

• O4 – Improve the provision and harmonization of Marine Aids to Navigation globally, through targeted training, technical cooperation, and capacity-building initiatives.

Brief and concise description of the

work to be undertaken and

programme milestones

Expected number of sessions for completion

ANNEX B TASK PROPOSAL EXAMPLE

Task Proposal

Committee

ENG (Engineering and Sustainability Committee)

Working Group

WG1

Standard

S1020 Marine Aids to Navigation Design and Delivery

Topic Area

S1020.2 Design, Implementation, and Maintenance

Task Update G1077 Maintenance of AtoN

Objectives of the task To update IALA Guideline G1077 to provide current guidance on developing and implementing maintenance strategies for Marine Aids to Navigation, including the review of supporting information, annexes, and related IALA publications to ensure consistency across the IALA documentation framework.

Expected outcome

Revised Guideline

Strategic Alignment

O2 – Develop applicable international standards, recommendations, and guidelines for adoption and use by its members and other relevant organizations or parties.

Brief and concise description of the

work to be undertaken and

programme milestones

Complete the review and finalisation of IALA Guideline G1077 – Developing a Maintenance Strategy for Aids to Navigation, including the identification of appropriate supporting examples and the development of annex material where required. Undertake a review of related IALA documents to ensure that references to G1077 remain accurate and consistent following the publication of the revised Guideline. Assess and prioritize additional actions identified during the review of G1077 and determine whether they should be addressed within the current or a future IALA Work Programme.

Programme milestones:

• Finalise the revised edition of G1077.

• Identify and develop supporting examples and annex material, as appropriate.

• Review related IALA publications and update references to G1077 where necessary.

• Identify and document any follow-on tasks arising from the review for consideration in the current or subsequent Work Programme.

Task Proposal

Expected number of sessions for completion

3 sessions

Circular Letter 2026/12

2 July 2026

Subject: Call for Proposals for the work programme 2027-2030

To: All Members

Dear Members,

In accordance with the General Regulations, Article 11.8, “Each Committee shall develop and work to a work programme.”

The Secretariat invites all Members to submit proposals for new tasks to be considered for inclusion in the work rogramme 2027–2030.

The work programme is the principal mechanism through which the Organization plans and coordinates its technical activities. It provides a structured framework for the Committees' work, ensuring that activities align with the strategic vision adopted by the General Assembly and that the Organization's resources are focused on delivering priority outcomes.

Operating on a three-year cycle, the work programme establishes the objectives, deliverables, responsibilities, and indicative timelines for the development of standards, recommendations, guidelines, manuals, model courses, and other technical outputs. The programme also provides the basis for establishing working groups and task groups to undertake specific work on behalf of the Committees.

The Secretariat is now commencing the preparation of the next work programme covering the period 2027–2030 and invites proposals for new tasks.

Submission of Task Proposals

Proposed tasks should:

• support the implementation of the strategic vision; • address identified operational, technical, or policy needs of the Members; • avoid duplication of existing or ongoing work; • identify clear and achievable objectives and expected deliverables;

• identify the most appropriate Committee responsible for the work.

Each proposal should be submitted using the attached Task proposal template (Annex A).

The Task proposal example can be found in Annex B.

Review Process

Following receipt of the submissions, the Secretariat will:

• forward the submitted proposals to the relevant Committees for their review and consideration;

• receive the task proposals endorsed by the respective Committees;

• compile the endorsed proposals into a consolidated draft IALA Work Programme;

• submit the consolidated draft Work Programme to the Policy Advisory Panel (PAP) for consideration, including the identification of any cross-committee dependencies and coordination requirements;

• submit the proposed Work Programme through the established process for Council approval.

Submission Deadline

Completed Task Description Templates should be submitted to the Secretariat no later than 04 September 2026 by email to [email protected].

Additional Information

The current work programme and task register are available through the IALA Task Register website and may be consulted when preparing new task proposals to ensure consistency with ongoing activities and to avoid duplication.

Should you require any further information regarding the preparation of task proposals or the work programme process, please do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat at [email protected].

The Secretariat looks forward to receiving your proposals and appreciates your continued contribution to the development of the Organization’s technical work.

ANNEX A TASK PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

Task Proposal

Committee

(select one)

• VTS (Vessel Traffic Services Committee)

• DTEC (Digital Technologies Committee)

• ENG (Engineering and Sustainability Committee)

• ARM (Aids to Navigation Requirements and Management Committee)

Working Group

(select one)

• WG1

• WG2

• WG3

• WG4

Standard

(select one)

• S1010 Marine Aids to Navigation Planning and Service Requirements

• S1020 Marine Aids to Navigation Design and Delivery

• S1030 Radionavigation Services

• S1040 Vessel Traffic Services

• S1050 Training and Certification

• S1060 Digital Communication Technologies

• S1070 Information Services

Topic Area

(select one)

• S1010.1 Obligations and Regulatory Compliance

• S1010.2 Aids to Navigation Planning

• S1010.3 Levels of Service (objective, availability and categories)

• S1010.4 Risk Management

• S1010.5 Quality Management

• S1020.1 Aids to Navigation Visual Signalling

• S1020.2 Design, Implementation, and Maintenance

• S1020.3 Floating Aids to Navigation

• S1020.4 Environment and Sustainability

• S1020.5 Power Systems

• S1020.6 Heritage and Culture

• S1030.1 Satellite Positioning and Timing

• S1030.2 Terrestrial Positioning and Timing

• S1030.3 Augmentation Services

Task Proposal

• S1030.4 Racon and Radar Positioning

• S1040.1 VTS Implementation

• S1040.2 VTS Operations

• S1040.3 VTS Communications

• S1040.4 VTS Auditing and Assessing

• S1040.5 VTS Data and Information Management

• S1040.6 VTS Technologies

• S1040.7 VTS Additional Services

• S1050.1 Training and Assessment

• S1050.2 Accreditation, Competency, Certification

• and Revalidation

• S1050.3 Capacity Building

• S1060.1 Wide and Medium Bandwidth Systems

• S1060.2 Narrow Bandwidth Systems

• S1060.3 Harmonised Maritime Connectivity

• S1070.1 Data Models and Data Encoding

• S1070.2 Data Exchange Systems

• S1070.3 Terminology, Symbology and Portrayal

Task (Name of the task)

Objectives of the task

Expected outcome

(select one)

• Recommendation

• Guideline

• Manual

• Other appropriate paper

Strategic Alignment

(select one or more, as applicable)

• O1 – Innovate, improve, and harmonize Marine Aids to Navigation, constantly reflecting changing technology and system obsolescence, changing user needs, operational imperatives, environmental sustainability, and best practice.

• O2 – Develop applicable international standards, recommendations, and guidelines for adoption and use by its members and other relevant organizations or parties.

• O3 – Offers its members a professional forum to share operational experiences, new techniques and technologies, and issues of common interest and concern.

Task Proposal

• O4 – Improve the provision and harmonization of Marine Aids to Navigation globally, through targeted training, technical cooperation, and capacity-building initiatives.

Brief and concise description of the

work to be undertaken and

programme milestones

Expected number of sessions for completion

ANNEX B TASK PROPOSAL EXAMPLE

Task Proposal

Committee

ENG (Engineering and Sustainability Committee)

Working Group

WG1

Standard

S1020 Marine Aids to Navigation Design and Delivery

Topic Area

S1020.2 Design, Implementation, and Maintenance

Task Update G1077 Maintenance of AtoN

Objectives of the task To update IALA Guideline G1077 to provide current guidance on developing and implementing maintenance strategies for Marine Aids to Navigation, including the review of supporting information, annexes, and related IALA publications to ensure consistency across the IALA documentation framework.

Expected outcome

Revised Guideline

Strategic Alignment

O2 – Develop applicable international standards, recommendations, and guidelines for adoption and use by its members and other relevant organizations or parties.

Brief and concise description of the

work to be undertaken and

programme milestones

Complete the review and finalisation of IALA Guideline G1077 – Developing a Maintenance Strategy for Aids to Navigation, including the identification of appropriate supporting examples and the development of annex material where required. Undertake a review of related IALA documents to ensure that references to G1077 remain accurate and consistent following the publication of the revised Guideline. Assess and prioritize additional actions identified during the review of G1077 and determine whether they should be addressed within the current or a future IALA Work Programme.

Programme milestones:

• Finalise the revised edition of G1077.

• Identify and develop supporting examples and annex material, as appropriate.

• Review related IALA publications and update references to G1077 where necessary.

• Identify and document any follow-on tasks arising from the review for consideration in the current or subsequent Work Programme.

Task Proposal

Expected number of sessions for completion

3 sessions