ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group Meeting 2023 - Ceremony of the International Day for Women in Maritime

ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group Meeting, Viet Nam

Tuesday 9 May 2023

Opening of the Ceremony - Mr. Kitack Lim, Secretary-General, IMO

Vice Minister, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

First let me express my deepest appreciation to our host the Government of Viet Nam for organizing this meeting, and to all ASEAN Member States for your kind invitation to me to participate and speak at this forty-fourth ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group.

I also commend you for using this event to get the region’s maritime community together to celebrate the second International Day of Women in Maritime, which is celebrated annually on 18 May!

Your response to this initiative really shows the importance of this day! 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As shipping undergoes substantial changes travelling towards uncharted waters, collaboration amongst IMO Member States and with the maritime industry is essential to ensure that the maritime industry navigates towards a sustainable future. Strong regional cooperation and coordination such as you demonstrate here is important but as a truly global industry, it has to also come together at an international forum, and that is at the International Maritime Organization, (IMO). So I particularly appreciate the collaboration and partnership between IMO and ASEAN Member States that support our continuous efforts to elevate the stance of the maritime sector.

As all of you gathered here today are well aware, global trade and, with it, economic growth, are interconnected with maritime transport, a reality that was made abundantly clear during the pandemic.

But the whole industry is voyaging through substantial changes and we, at IMO, work tirelessly to ensure that these changes are supported by a strong, global regulatory framework.

Our common goal is to build an efficient and sustainable maritime sector and prerequisites to achieving this include decarbonization, digitalization and automation. With this in mind, IMO, together with the international community, is currently focused on shipping’s contribution to the global mission to combat climate change and to the industry’s move towards a digital future. 

In just two months, IMO’s Member States will meet to agree on an upgraded IMO Decarbonization Strategy that will strengthen IMO’s commitment to deliver a just and fair transition of international shipping to low and zero carbon fuels. I am encouraged by their willingness to elevate their vision and levels of ambition, while taking due care of the needs of developing States – in particular, Small Islands Developing States and Least Developed Countries. 

This transition to a decarbonized maritime sector cuts across all aspects of shipping – from fuel supply and use to port operations, seafarer training and all aspects of safety. Of course, in this and all the other developments I have mentioned, there will be challenges. But there will also be great opportunities for us all to work together for a greener future. IMO’s ambitious strategy will incentivize technology development, innovation and R&D into low- and zero-carbon fuels and facilitate a smooth transition towards their use, ensuring no one is left behind in a just and equitable transition. It will also foster education and training for the maritime workforce, to make it ready to support a sustainable shipping industry. The transition can also enable the sector to reconnect with younger generations, and attract more women to join the sector, in all regions of the world, many of whose careers will feature the renewable energy generation and energy efficiency technology that will be vital for shipping’s future. There is still a significant gender imbalance in maritime. Times are changing – but we need to accelerate that change. The benefits for the whole sector of improved diversity in the workforce is evident.

Women are working in all facets of the maritime sector across the globe, both on shore and at sea, to support the transition to a decarbonized, digitalized and more sustainable future for the industry. And this is why, on 18 May, we celebrate the International Day for Women in Maritime. The theme for this year is “Mobilizing networks for gender equality”, highlighting the importance of collaboration and networking in achieving gender equality in the maritime sector. The IMO-established Women in Maritime Associations are examples of such networks. They are paving the way in supporting women in maritime across the globe – and encouraging the next generation into maritime. This is important because gender equality is recognized as a key pillar for a sustainable future. It is enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 5, one of the 17 goals that underpin the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Agenda, which countries all over the world have pledged to implement. 

For more than three decades, IMO has been supporting gender equality through our women in maritime programme, seeking to empower women in the sector through training, visibility and recognition. We work in partnership with many like-minded entities in this regard including IMOGEN – our maritime diplomats for gender equality - and WISTA International. This is the second year we are marking 18 May as a key moment in our calendar to celebrate women in the industry and to promote the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the maritime sector. And I am encouraged to see it being celebrated globally, like here today! The celebration of this day also serves to raise the profile of women in maritime, and to strengthen IMO's commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, which addresses gender equality, and support work to address the current gender imbalance in maritime. Let’s once again use this opportunity to celebrate the many women who are contributing to the future of maritime: navigators, engineers, surveyors, CEOs, managers, representatives of government and industry, those chairing IMO meetings and women in every role across the industry. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Whether we are working to decarbonize shipping, embrace digitalization and automation, support our seafarers, or encourage diversity and a greater gender balance, every action we take has the potential to improve the future. Collaboration and knowledge sharing are the keys to unlocking that potential and when we harness the strength of the maritime community both regionally – such as in this meeting today - and globally, this potential grows significantly stronger. 

I wish you all a happy "International Day for Women in Maritime"!

Thank you.