Technical Cooperation Committee (TC), 71st session, 20-24 September 2021

SECRETARY-GENERAL'S CLOSING ADDRESS AT THE SEVENTY-FIRST SESSION OF THE TECHNICAL COOPERATION COMMITTEE

Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, and observers,

Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening,

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.

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

You have agreed on a strategy to shape IMO's technical cooperation activities over the decade to 2030 to be forwarded to the Council for endorsement.

In this regard, you have also agreed a draft resolution for adoption by the Assembly and have approved the establishment of a new Regional Presence Office for the Pacific.

I am heartened by this commitment to increase the reach and effectiveness of IMO's technical cooperation programmes and our support to achieving the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.

Your Committee has approved the ITCP for the 2022-2023 biennium, including a new global programme on reducing emissions from ships and in ports to support developing countries, SIDS and LDCs in the implementation of the Initial IMO GHG Strategy.

I would also encourage Member States and industry partners to contribute to the IMO GHG Trust Fund in support of this important endeavour.

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

My appreciation goes to the Working Group, led by Mrs. Fernanda Millicay of Argentina, for their active participation and hard work .

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.

In addition to these achievements, your Committee received reports of the ground-breaking work to promote the empowerment of women in the maritime sector; and the work of our training institutions, the World Maritime University and the IMO International Maritime Law Institute.

It is imperative that Member States and development partners 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 thank the Member States for the generous contributions towards the sustainable financing of the ITCP and your support to IMO's major programmes and long-term 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. Sincere thanks are also due to the Committee's Vice-Chair, Mrs. Mandana Mansoorian of the Islamic Republic of Iran, for her support to the Chair and commitment to the work of the Committee.

I congratulate both of you on your re-election for 2022.

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 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. 

You have shown once again that, together, IMO can deliver progress even in the most difficult of circumstances.

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

Thank you.