International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA)

The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (‘IALA’) is a non-governmental organization (‘NGO’) founded in 1957 as the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities. It enjoys a consultative status within the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IALA appears to be an extremely useful association if one considers that, since the multilateral conventions establishing uniform rules on maritime signals are not universally accepted, international cooperation among the relevant national authorities for lighthouses and aids to navigation and other interested parties is fundamental to ensure the safety of ever-increasing global maritime traffic. In this connection, it is noteworthy that, since 2013, the change of status of the IALA from an NGO to an intergovernmental organization had been discussed. Following three preparatory diplomatic conferences, the Kuala Lumpur Conference eventually adopted the Convention on the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation in February 2020. It is plain to see that the transformation of IALA from an NGO to an international organization is per se of great significance.