Council, 122nd session, 15-19 July 2019 (opening remarks)

Session 122 of IMO Council

Monday 15 July 2019

Opening remarks by IMO Secretary-General Mr. Kitack Lim

Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the one hundred and twenty second session of the Council. I would like to extend a particular welcome to those of you attending the meeting for the first time.

This meeting marks the culmination of a very busy but extremely successful first six months of 2019 in relation to the work of the Organization.

As it will be presented later under pertinent agenda items, all the committees and most of the subcommittees have met and the Council will be provided with the most relevant and important outcomes from those governing bodies. I would like to congratulate all Member States, NGOs and IGOs on the significant progress made with respect of safety, environment protection, efficiency of shipping and technical cooperation under the volatile international maritime environment. The IMO Secretariat has done its best to best serve Member States and has also made notable development in the general management within the IMO Secretariat functions.

Minister, excellencies, ladies and gentleman,

You have a very busy agenda placing this week, which includes vital policy topics and emerging challenges in anticipation of the thirty-first session of the Assembly to come. But I am confident that with the customary IMO spirit of cooperation and under the able leadership of the Chair, Mr. Xiaojie Zhang of China, ably supported by his Vice-Chair, Mr. Edmundo Deville of Peru, we will complete all our tasks successfully. The Secretariat and myself will do our best to serve your meeting.

Thank you.

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