Written by
Nick Blenkey
IMO Council was elected by a secret poll course of [Photo: IMO]
The IMO Meeting has elected the members of the IMO Council for the 2024-2025 biennium —and, for the primary time since 1960, Russia is just not one in all them.
The transfer was applauded by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I welcome this simply choice. Within the final decade, no nation has accomplished extra to undermine freedom of navigation than Russia,” he stated in a submit on X. “I’m grateful to IMO member states for taking this significant step.”
The IMO Council is the U.N. company‘s govt and is accountable, beneath the Meeting, for supervising the work of the group. Between periods of the Meeting, the IMO Council performs the features othe Meeting, besides that of creating suggestions to Governments on maritime security and air pollution prevention.
The thirty third Meeting of IMO is assembly in London at IMO Headquarters in a session that began November 27 and ends December 2023. The 40-member Council was elected in a secret poll course of.
The Meeting elected the next States to be members of the Council for the 2024-2025 biennium:
Class (a): 10 States with the biggest curiosity in offering worldwide delivery companies (listed in alphabetical order):
China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Norway, Panama, the Republic of Korea, the UK and america
Class (b): 10 States with the biggest curiosity in worldwide seaborne commerce:
Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates
Class (c): 20 States not elected beneath (a) or (b) above, which have particular pursuits in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will make sure the illustration of all main geographic areas of the world:
Bahamas, Bangladesh, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Türkiye.
The newly elected Council will meet, following the conclusion of the thirty third Meeting, for its 131st session (on December 7) and can elect its Chair and Vice-Chair for the subsequent biennium.
NEW SECRETARY GENERAL CONFIRMED
Earlier within the Meeting session, on November 30, Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco of Panama was confirmed as IMO’s subsequent Secretary-Common when the Meeting unanimously authorised the choice of the Council at its 129th session (C129) to nominate him to the function, succeeding Kitack Lim.
Addressing the Meeting, Dominguez Velasco stated:
“You may have my full dedication to construct on the good work that has been accomplished by my predecessors, taking what’s already a big and influential group, to be an establishment that may thrive in delivering its full agenda, from security to decarbonization, from digitalization to the human aspect; an Worldwide Maritime Group that not solely seems to be in the direction of the longer term, however does extra in embracing change, variety, inclusion and transparency; one that’s devoted to its individuals, from all of the very skilled workers that kind the IMO Secretariat, to our seafarers worldwide and maybe most significantly, a dedication to the youthful generations, those we’re obliged at hand over to, at hand over a planet that could be a higher place to stay in.”
He concluded,
“I wish to reiterate how a lot I’m wanting ahead to main IMO, to proceed working with all of you, a rare group of people that have demonstrated time and time once more that we will ship, by listening and understanding one another, sharing our goals and issues. I’m very fortunate to start out with an already nice staff of execs within the Secretariat who additionally need what’s finest for the Member States and all our stakeholders.”
