IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim delivered a strong reminder about the vital importance of balanced and sustainable development to delegates at the Ocean Leadership conference at the Nor-Shipping 2019 conference in Oslo today (4 June).
In a keynote address, Mr Lim spoke of the Sustainable Development Goals as a unifying factor breathing life into global efforts to improve the lives of people everywhere. He confirmed IMO’s strong commitment to the 2030 Sustainability Agenda and reminded delegates that IMO's environment regulations were driving many of the technology innovations being showcased at the Nor-Shipping exhibition.
He highlighted moves to cut greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the sulphur content of ships' fuel oil, requiring strict ballast water management and adopting the Polar Code as outstanding recent examples of IMO's own sustainability agenda.
"Events such as this", he said, "remind us that the world is no longer prepared to accept services or industries that are simply cost-effective. We now demand them to be green, clean and energy-efficient and safe. Through IMO, governments ensure that shipping is responding to that challenge."
Mr
Lim also took the opportunity to reiterate his strong personal support for the
themes of this year's World
Maritime Day and Day
of the Seafarer, both of which deal with gender equality in the maritime
community.