Although 2011 IOMA Annual Meeting which had been scheduled to be held in Japan was canceled, the Board of Directors & Global Committee Meetings will be held in November. At the meetings, Takashi Washizu, former chief of the International Harmonization Council (IHC) working group of the Japan Industrial and Medical Gases Association (JIMGA) will be commended for his great contribution to the work of the IHC, the first from JIMGA to be so commended.

Every year at the Board of Directors Meetings, one person is selected as having made the greatest contribution to the work of the IHC. He is chosen from among 4 candidates from JIMGA, the Compressed Gas Association (CGA), the European Industrial Gases Association (EIGA), and the Asia Industrial Gases Association (AIGA). The recipient will be invited to the next IOMA Annual Meeting.