Technical Cooperation Committee (TC), 72nd session, 17-20 October 2022 (closing remarks)

Technical Cooperation Committee (TC), 72nd session, 17-20 October 2022 (closing remarks)

SECRETARY-GENERAL'S CLOSING REMARKS

AT THE SEVENTY-SECOND SESSION OF THE

TECHNICAL COOPERATION COMMITTEE

20 October 2022

Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, and observers,

Good afternoon, good morning or good evening – for those joining us virtually.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to you and your Committee for the hard work, enthusiasm, and active participation during this week. This has been a very productive session of your Committee.

I am also pleased to note that the first IMO Committee meeting held in the building, in hybrid mode, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic progressed smoothly.

Allow me to highlight some of your major achievements at this session.

You have agreed on the establishment of a new Regional Presence Office (RPO) in Egypt, to enhance IMO's coordination of technical assistance for the Middle East and North Africa region.

I also understand that progress is underway to set up the new RPO in the Pacific, as agreed last year; and there was much support for considering the establishment of a RPO in the Latin America region.

You had a robust and valuable discussion on initiatives to progress the women in maritime agenda, including a proposal for establishing an IMO Gender-Equality Award and a new global maritime indicator on the percentage of women seafarers on board ships. Both will make a significant contribution to our efforts to enhance the participation of women in maritime and the sectors efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5.

I also note the significant progress on IMO's training initiatives, particularly the continued focus on remote learning, in collaboration with the World Maritime University.

In this regard, I commend yesterday's launch of yet another e-learning course on Ships' Biofouling Management and look forward to seeing the uptake of this important course by interested Member States.

Thank you also for the valuable suggestions to the Council for the development of the Strategic Plan for the Organization for the six-year period 2024 to 2029, regarding the importance of training and education, as well as the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. I believe these will be duly considered by the Council.

I am heartened by the Committee's commitment to implement the important elements of the Capacity‑Building Decade Strategy. I have great confidence that, collectively, these initiatives will continue to increase the reach and effectiveness of IMO's technical cooperation programmes.

Your Committee has made significant progress in finalizing SMART indicators for data collection for technical cooperation, in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Once again, I would also encourage Member States to fully engage in national and regional UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework processes, to ensure that maritime issues are mainstreamed in the country-wide implementation of SDGs and the UN 2030 Agenda.

I would further like to urge Member States and development partners to continue to invest in maritime development and training, both through supporting the ITCP and through direct support to our global training institutions, WMU and IMLI.

With that in mind, I would like to sincerely appreciate   the generous contributions towards the sustainable financing of the ITCP and your support to IMO's long-term thematic projects. 

Distinguished delegates,

I am sure you will agree with me that recognition is due to your Chair, H.E. Mr. Laurent Parenté of Vanuatu, for his efficient leadership throughout the session.

My appreciation also goes to the Committee's Vice-Chair, Mrs. Mandana Mansoorian of the Islamic Republic of Iran. I would also like to thank Mrs. Fernanda Millicay of Argentina for her excellent skills and efficiency to guide the working group on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I wish Ambassador Parenté every success in his new role as Director General at IMSO. I look forward to continued collaboration with His Excellency and with IMSO.

I also extend my appreciation to the officers and staff of the Technical Cooperation Division led by Mr. Xiaojie Zhang, Director of the Division. My appreciation also goes to our colleagues in the Conference and Administrative Divisions for the support.

I would also like to pay respect to the interpreters, for their skill and commitment to facilitate mutual understanding during our meetings.

This is an opportune moment to thank those delegates and experts who are leaving us for other endeavours, for their contribution to the work of the Committee and indeed this Organization. I wish you all the best for the future, fair winds and calm seas.

Distinguished Delegates,

I thank and congratulate all of you for your contributions during this session. All these achievements would not have been possible without your cooperation, collaboration and indeed the overwhelming support you have given to your Chair. 

It now remains for me to wish you all a nice weekend and safe travels home. Thank you again for your hard work and continuous support to the work of the Organization.

Thank you.