IMO is continuing its work to help assess how Member States administer key IMO treaties to ensure its regulatory framework is universally adopted and implemented. A five-day regional training course for auditors under IMO's Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) is being held for auditors from the Arab States and Mediterranean region. The training course commenced on 7 November 2022, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The course equips qualified officials from IMO Member States with the auditing knowledge and skills to assist in ensuring the effective implementation of the applicable IMO instruments and to assist Member States to improve their capabilities.
The training is designed to develop specific skills in auditing Member States using the IMO Instruments Implementation (III) Code as the audit standard. The course is conducted based on revised course material and using "blended learning" - classroom sessions combined with individual work using the new e-learning tool, which contains e-lessons and e-exercises materials made available to the participants through the online IMO Learning Management System (LMS).
The course is attended by senior officials from maritime administrations who are, or will be, involved in preparing their respective countries to undergo the audit by carrying out internal audits and they may be nominated as auditors under the Scheme. Twenty-five participants from nine IMO Member States* are participating in this course. Malaysia also nominated one participant, who took part in the training course.
Under the Framework and Procedures for the IMO Member State Audit Scheme, all IMO Member States are required to undergo a mandatory audit within the seven-year audit cycle and up to 25 Member State audits per year are expected to be audited under the Scheme. Ninety-four mandatory audits under IMSAS have been conducted since the commencement of the mandatory phase of the Scheme in January 2016.
*Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan (the), Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (the).