“Education is the greatest engine of personal development”, said Ms. Lorraine Masiza (from Namibia), Chair of the Association for Women in the Maritime Sector in Eastern and Southern Africa region (WOMESA), speaking at the first ever meeting of all seven IMO regional Women in Maritime Associations (WIMAS).
This historic meeting took place on the sidelines of the third World Maritime University (WMU) International Women’s Conference, Empowering Women in the Maritime Community, Malmö, Sweden (4-5 April).
WIMAFRICA and WMUWA also joined the gathering to share experiences and generate ideas for the future.
On the subject of education, Ms. Masiza also said that mentoring programmes were crucial in order to advance women and girls in the maritime sector. The key themes of training, visibility and recognition were echoed by representatives from the other WIMAS, who also highlighted the need for research and data, to help inform strategies to mainstream gender issues throughout the maritime sector.
Ms. Carol Schroeder of the WMU Women's Association (WMUWA) spoke about the network of past, current and prospective female students of the University. Recognizing the need to involve everyone in gender issues, the WMUMA currently has 11 male associate members.
The seven regional networks promote and improve gender balance in the shipping industry have been established, with support from IMO’s Women in Maritime programme.
IMO’s Women in Maritime Programme funded two representatives from each WIMA to attend the Malmö conference on Empowering Women in the Maritime Community. IMO's Women in Maritime Programme forms part of the Organization's strong commitment towards helping its Member States achieve the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 5 "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls".