Empowering Women: An Ocean of Opportunities in Science, Policy and Blue Economy - Side Event at UN Ocean Conference 2022

 UNOC SIDE-EVENT

"EMPOWERING WOMEN: AN OCEAN OF OPPORTUNITIES IN SCIENCE, POLICY, AND BLUE" ECONOMY

Tuesday 28 June 2022

Kitack Lim, Secretary-General, IMO 

Organized by World Maritime University (WMU) (Programme here) 

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honour to address you today and I would like to start by thanking the co-sponsors of this important side event: the World Maritime University–Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute; the International Seabed Authority, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, Sailors for the Sea Japan, and Leading Women for the Ocean.

Madam Damanaki described the position of women in maritime very well in her introduction.

Maritime transport and ocean-related industries are critical for international trade and play a key role in ensuring sustainable development for all.

They also offer abundant career opportunities in the areas of science, policy, and the blue economy.

Yet women continue to be under-represented in all these fields. This needs to change.

We must continue to push our collective endeavours to ensure gender equality and women's empowerment in the maritime sector in line with SDG 5. 

IMO is ready to play its part. IMO's flagship Programme on Women in Maritime has been running for three decades. The programme covers all aspects of the maritime sector including capacity building aimed at providing women with the necessary tools for successful careers in Maritime.

We are strengthening these efforts to address the gender imbalance, with new approaches to raise the visibility of women already working in the sector, inspiring younger generations with role models and career paths to follow.

Last month, IMO and its Member States honoured the achievements of the many women who contribute so much to the success of our maritime journey during the celebration of the first International Day for Women in Maritime on 18 May.

To further reinforce IMO's commitment, across the world, IMO has facilitated the creation of professional networks to mentor and support training and other opportunities.

Eight Women in Maritime Associations (WIMAs) have been established and are thriving: three in Africa and one each representing Arab States, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific.

Women strengthen their technical expertise via IMO-funded initiatives at the IMO International Maritime Law Institute, via our Women in Port Management course and most recently the Maritime SheEO leadership accelerator programme, which was launched in March this year. 

All this comes against the background of the data collected in the first Women in Maritime Survey Report conducted in cooperation between IMO and the Women's Shipping and Trading Association.

That research found that women account for only 29% of the overall workforce in the shipping industry and 20% of the workforce of national maritime authorities in IMO Member States.

Benchmarking the current state of the sector is vital to measure where we are, and where we need to go.

The 2021 Survey shone a spotlight on areas in which IMO Member States and the wider maritime industry are performing well – and, more importantly, those where additional attention, resources and encouragement are needed.

By actively empowering women with the requisite skills and maintaining a barrier-free working environment, we create truly sustainable systems of gender equality.

Our efforts to support the Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality must continue to be embedded across all of IMO's work.

This is vital at a time when the maritime industry is working to transition to a more sustainable future and to decarbonize, digitalize, increase efficiency, and fight climate change.

This transition cannot take place without the brightest minds working to find solutions. Diversity in leadership is good for business.

So, we must do everything in our power to cultivate a wide range of thoughts, skills, and attitudes.

Women leaders are vital for the future of maritime.

Particularly in a time when we are moving towards digitalization.

Collectively, we must now take the steps to make the industry more welcoming and supporting for women on their career paths in Maritime.

Thank you.