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In 2017, the UAE was elected to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council under category B and was subsequently re-elected in 2019. The UAE has now confirmed it is seeking re-election for the third consecutive time during elections that will take place from 6th to 15th December 2021 in London. The UAE says it aims to continue its active role in strengthening maritime legislation and regulations to serve the shipping sector and international trade.
Commenting on the UAE’s role in the IMO, H.E. Hessa Al Malek, Advisor to the Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs, UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure said, “Through the UAE membership in the IMO Council, we continue to work with member states to advance the global maritime sector and the shipping industry through a collective contribution to the IMO’s mission of achieving the safety, security and efficiency of maritime transport in clean oceans. The UAE has played an active role during the previous and current cycles, and succeeded in introducing fundamental amendments to many decisions that contribute to the development and improvement of the work system to keep pace with global changes and modern technologies.”
The UAE plays a key role in global seaborne trade. There are more than 27,000 maritime companies in the UAE and the country’s ports rank among the top worldwide. Sheikh Nasser Al-Qasimi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Infrastructure and Transport Sector at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, added: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, all ports in the UAE were kept open to facilitate maritime trade and keep the maritime supply chains functioning in order to deliver vital goods and supplies. The UAE was one of the first IMO Member States to designate seafarers as key workers since they are on the front line of the pandemic, and provide major services in such circumstances. It also supported seafarers working on board ships and continued to facilitate safe ship crew change, access to medical care and seafarer travel during the pandemic. In addition, free Covid-19 vaccines were offered to all key workers including seafarers and ports employees who work in the UAE waters.”
Through its membership in the International Maritime Organization, the UAE seeks to continue contributing to developing strategies, policies, agreements and setting standards regulating the maritime sector. The UAE is a very active contributor to the IMO activities through engagement and participation in all the works of the Assembly, Council, main technical committees, sub-committees, and related working groups. In coordination with IMO Technical Cooperation division, the UAE has also hosted several regional workshops and other capacity-building activities to assist IMO.
The UAE has recently contributed a number of amendments including submitting a proposal to increase the membership of the organization’s council to 52 members instead of 40, and to increase the term of office of the Council to 4 years. The UAE has also contributed to the work of the Legal and Technical Cooperation Committees and is active in supporting and empowering women in all fields, especially the maritime sector. The UAE is also one of the founders of the International Maritime Organization Communication Network for Gender Equality (IMOGENder) and currently holds the presidency of the Arab Women in Maritime Association (AWIMA), in cooperation with the IMO Technical Cooperation Programme.
The UAE has helped to prepare and implement the IMO’s initial strategy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships and will continue to support the development of follow-up action plans. The country is a founder member of the Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to achieve safe, secure and has taken part in many national and international forums aimed at conveying and exchanging experiences in maritime education and training. The UAE has recently established a branch in Sharjah for the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, an affiliate of the Arab League and has also established Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy in Abu Dhabi.
