Public officials from 11 Pacific Islands countries have improved their capacity to implement some of IMO’s most crucial conventions, following a regional workshop in Nadi, Fiji (12-14 November).
Organized by IMO in partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC) and supported through the SMART-C Leaders Project funded by the Republic of Korea, the training aimed to ensure that Member States in the region were aware of their obligations under IMO conventions and better equipped to fulfil them.
This includes compliance with the IMO Instruments Implementation Code (III Code), which covers the implementation and enforcement of international conventions on maritime safety, environmental protection, and seafarer training, among others.
Under the mandatory IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS), countries are periodically assessed on how effectively they are implementing IMO instruments. Following these IMSAS audits, Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) are developed to address findings and strengthen compliance.
The workshop assisted Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in addressing the common findings from their IMSAS audits to support effective implementation of IMO instruments. It focused on areas such as Port State Control, Flag State Implementation, and maritime legislation.
In total, 28 participants attended from the following countries: the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Through networking and knowledge-sharing among all Pacific SIDS, the workshop promoted regional co-operation in implementing IMO instruments, while exploring how the SMART-C Leaders Project could further strengthen their maritime governance frameworks.