Women’s full and meaningful participation in the economy, political decision-making and society is key to addressing maritime challenges, said IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim in his welcoming address to the 6th session of the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR6).
The remarks were made on the occasion of the opening of the event which is underway, from 18 to 22 February, to address key environmental regulatory challenges.
Before turning to the important items on the agenda of the meeting, Mr. Lim took the opportunity to say a few words about this year’s World Maritime Day theme, “Empowering women in the maritime community”.
The maritime sector needs ‘all hands on deck’, both male and female, if it is to take on the challenges of carrying the world’s goods in an efficient, safe and clean manner.
…he noted, encouraging Member States to participate to the event.
Although women form 39.3% of the global workforce, women seafarers constitute only 2% of the total number of seafarers worldwide, creating a need for the shipping community to bridge this gender gap.
At the 120th session of its Council meeting in London in July, IMO selected the “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community” as the World Maritime Day theme for 2019, in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This year’s World Maritime Day will be celebrated at IMO Headquarters on 26 September, and the annual parallel event will be jointly organized by the Government of Colombia and IMO.