IMO has successfully provided maritime assistance to developing countries in all its fields of competence. The following are examples of some of the achievements of IMO’s project management:
- preparation of model maritime legislation that countries can adapt to their circumstances;
- establishment and upgrading of national maritime administrations;
- development of national and regional maritime training academies;
- support for regional networks of maritime authorities;
- development of regional port State control mechanisms;
- establishment of regional coordinator offices in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya and the Philippines, and the position of a regional maritime adviser for the Caribbean;
- development of national and regional contingency plans and related training courses for marine pollution preparedness and response in partnership with Governments and the oil industry at national, regional and international level;
- establishment of formal networks or associations for women employed in maritime authorities;
- preparation of regional strategies for maritime safety, marine environment protection, modernization of maritime legislation, and facilitation of international maritime traffic;
- assistance in the development of global search and rescue plans and training of personnel to operate them;
- development of demonstration sites for multidisciplinary activities relating to the protection of the marine environment that can be replicated in other developing countries and regions;
- provision of fellowships for specialized “on the job” maritime training and its training institutions;
- development of a programme of training model courses to assist with the implementation of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978; and
- establishment of Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) in Africa.
IMO global maritime training institutions
For more than two decades, IMO has successfully contributed to offer developing and developed countries the possibility to accede to a high-level maritime education, through the establishment of two prestigious training institutions. This success is the fruit of an efficient partnership between IMO, Governments and donors.
The
World Maritime University (WMU), located in Malmö, Sweden, was founded in 1983. Since then, the University has established an excellent reputation as the global centre for advanced education, training and research for specialist personnel from the international maritime community.
Meeting the special needs of Africa
Meeting the special needs of Africa is one of the key objectives of the 2000 United Nations Millennium Declaration. In line with several resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly, IMO has, since the mid-1990s, given priority to Africa in the allocation of its technical assistance resources. The ITCP activities in that region also take into account the action plans of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. Three IMO regional presence offices, are located in Africa with offices based in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Kenya. Through the ITCP, IMO is also addressing the “Transport Targets and Indicators related to the Millennium Development Goals”, as set out in the 2005 report of the Ministers of Transport of the African Union.
Priority has been given to the development of maritime search and rescue capabilities leading to an effective network of five Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) and 26 subcentres, the first of which was commissioned in Mombasa, Kenya, in May 2006, the second in Cape Town, South Africa, in January 2007, the third one in Lagos, Nigeria, in May 2008 and the fourth one in Liberia in April 2009. The remaining MRCC will be located in Morocco.