International Women's Day - 8 March 2021​

Statement by Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said: 

“International women’s day is the perfect opportunity for everyone in the maritime sector to ask: “Are we doing enough to make our industry more diverse?” 

We have seen time and again that having women in all roles, particularly in leadership creates a more prosperous and dynamic workforce. Moving forward, we must embrace these principles to ensure a sustainable recovery from the impacts of the COVID19 Pandemic, and to shape a fairer future for all. 

At IMO, to celebrate International Women's Day, and to highlight the 2021 World Maritime Theme "Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future", we have launched the #MyMaritimeMentor online campaign. The online campaign will provide the opportunity to recognizes the work of inspiring mentors in the maritime industry.

In order to meet the goals of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goals 5 on gender equality and 8 on decent work for all, IMO has been taking tangible steps to make the maritime industry more inclusive, through our “Women in Maritime” programme, and the implementation of the many initiatives started as part of the 2019 World Maritime Theme - “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community”.

We are currently working with WISTA International to gather data for the first “Women in Maritime” survey, to assess the participation of women in the maritime sector. The results of this will create a baseline for our industry to measure effort and track progress. 

But our efforts do not only cover the maritime sector, but also the IMO Secretariat. We are currently developing strategies to enhance the representation of women, in particular in leadership positions.

I look forward to working with each and every one of you to continue on the path to making the maritime industry more inclusive and diverse.”