India Re-Elected To The International Maritime Organization Council

India was re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) with the highest number of votes in the elections held on 1 December 2023 in London for the 2024-25 biennium session.

33rd Assembly of IMO Council: 

• The 33rd Assembly of the IMO Council is being held from 27 November to 6 December 2023 at the IMO Headquarters in London.
• The Council is an executive body of the IMO and is responsible for monitoring the work of the organization.

India among, countries most interested in international maritime trade:

• India comes in the category of ten countries with the greatest interest in international maritime trade.
• Along with India, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are also included in the 10 countries with 'most interest in international maritime trade' in this category.
• On India's re-election to the council, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said it reflects the government's commitment to enhancing India's diverse contribution to global maritime operations.
• We were re-elected with the highest number of votes in the elections to the IMO Council in Category 'B' in London, thereby maintaining a proud and unbroken record of India's continuous service to the IMO.
• This fully reflects the high priority given by the Government of India to the rapid expansion and development of the country's domestic shipping sector, especially in recent years, and to enhancing India's diverse contribution to global maritime operations.

International Maritime Organization (IMO):

• Established: 17 March 1948 (made by an agreement during the Geneva Conference).
• Headquarters: London
• At present the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has a total of 175 members and 3 associate members.
• IMO is a specialized organization of the United Nations, its first meeting was held in the year 1959, about 10 years after its establishment.
• IMO is an international standard-setting authority primarily responsible for improving the safety of international shipping and preventing pollution from ships.
• The IMO is not responsible for enforcing its policies, nor does the IMO have any mechanism for enforcing its policies.
• The main function of the IMO is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair, effective and universally adopted and enforced.

Structure and functioning of IMO:

• The IMO has a General Assembly, a Council and five main committees.

General Assembly of IMO:

• It is the highest administrative body of IMO. It involves all member states and a session is held once every 2 years. But if necessary, an extraordinary session can also be organized.
• The General Assembly is primarily responsible for approving the organization's program, voting on the budget, and determining the organization's finances. The General Assembly also elects the Council of the organization.

Council of IMO:

• The Council is elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term after each regular session of the General Assembly. It is the executive body of IMO and is responsible for overseeing the work of the organization.
• There are a total of 40 members in the council, who are divided into three categories (A, B and C category).

IMO's five committees:

1. Maritime Safety Committee
2. Marine Environment Protection Committee
3. Legal Committee
4. Technical Cooperation Committee
5. Facilitation Committee

• These five committees of IMO are mainly responsible for formulating and developing policies, carrying them forward and implementing rules and guidelines.

IMO and India:

• India joined IMO only in the year 1959. At present India falls in category (B) of the council members of the organization. It has three categories:
• Category (A): This includes those countries whose most interests are linked to international shipping services. 
  • The ten countries most interested in providing international shipping services are Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, China, Greece, UK and Northern Ireland and the United States.
• Category (B): It includes those countries whose most interests are linked to international maritime trade. 
  • This includes India, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates.
• Category (C): It includes those countries which have special interest in maritime trade and navigation. 
  • Like Belgium, Chile, Cyprus and Denmark etc.