Technical Cooperation Consultancies at IMO

Background

IMO established the Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) to assist countries in building up their human and institutional capacities for uniform and effective compliance with the Organization’s regulatory framework. Pursuant to the establishment of ITCP, various field activities (advisory missions, training events… etc.) take place every year.  These activities are short-term assignments of 1-2 weeks.  In this regard, IMO created an E-Roster to support the delivery of these activities. The new E-Roster is a web based system designed to manage information relating to external consultants engaged on IMO technical cooperation activities. The E-Roster consists of two main modules: Missions/Activities module and Personal History Form (PHF) module. External consultants are able to register, create their own profiles, login to their accounts and/or update their personal information in PHF module from the secured website. The Missions/Activities module also allows identification and assists the selection of the best candidates for particular assignment. These assignments and performance of consultants are linked to support the selection process for future technical cooperation activities. 

ITCP activities

There are various types of activities that external consultants are requested to deliver such as advisory missions, training courses, workshops (national and regional), seminars and drafting of national maritime legislation. These are mainly in the following major fields of expertise:

  1. Auditing
  2. General Maritime Administration
  3. Marine Environment Protection
  4. Maritime Education & Training
  5. Maritime Legislation
  6. Maritime Safety
  7. Maritime Security
  8. Navigation & Communication
  9. Ports and Harbours

Qualifications

It is anticipated that IMO consultants are qualified experts in one or several categories of expertise which they can select and choose from when filling the PHF online. The PHF contains full information on the profile of the applicant, organised into sections for personal information, professional experience, skill and competence, relevant qualifications, expertise etc. Consultants must have all the key qualifications that are in line with the ITCP mandate and be fluent in one or more of UN official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. There are over 70 sub-categories of expertise available for the applicants to choose when filling the PHF. The major groups of the categories of expertise are listed above.

How to apply

E-Roster can be accessed through the same account used to access IMODOCS and GISIS. If you don’t have an account, you can create one by registering at http://roster.imo.org.After logging in, choose the link “Roster of Consultants public registration and self-management”. Then fill in your details in the online PHF. The PHF will then be saved in “Draft” mode, until you submit your PHF by clicking on the button under the “Submit” tab. Submitted PHFs are assessed by relevant officers in IMO and qualified applicants are added to the E-Roster as candidates of IMO consultants. 

Recruitment of consultants

The E-Roster system stores information on new, on-going and completed technical cooperation activities undertaken by IMO consultants. IMO Officers may create a new activity in the system, before proceeding with the stages of searching and selecting the consultants. Then a Recruitment Request (RR) is submitted to the Advisory Panel on Technical Cooperation for consideration. If the RR is approved, the administrative and logistical arrangements for the travel of the approved consultants are handled by the TC Human Resources and Fellowships Unit (TCHRFU). Finally, PHF experience information is also automatically updated with the relevant activity information each time a consultant completes an IMO activity and receives a performance appraisal. 

WMU and IMLI graduates

All World Maritime University (WMU)/IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) graduates are encouraged to register as Assistant Consultants who are short-listed by IMO Officers to participate in relevant missions/assignments, as required, together with a lead consultant. Following a positive appraisal, Assistant Consultants become full Consultants on the E-Roster.