Maritime transportation is essential for sustainable development because the world relies on a safe, secure and efficient international shipping industry. But many countries are unprepared to take advantage of this potential. The video, published by IMO, explains how a coherent and coordinated National Maritime Transport Policy can benefit everyone.
IMO has developed a concept of a Sustainable Maritime Transportation System with a view to providing a blueprint for countries to develop their maritime transport infrastructure in a safe, efficient and environmentally sound manner, in keeping with the global process to develop Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were launched at the Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development in 2012.
With this comprehensive regulatory framework put in place and a new approach to the delivery of technical assistance, IMO also introduced the concept of providing assistance to its Member States in the formulation and development of national maritime transport policies (NMTPs), thus strengthening the maritime capacities and contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.
Moreover, NMTPs are also complimentary to the concept of the “Blue Economy” which is closely associated with sustainable development and Small Island Developing States (SIDs).
To assist developing countries in formulating and enhancing their NMTPs, the IMO Secretariat, in close cooperation with the World Maritime University (WMU), developed a training package and material on the development, adoption and updating of NMTPs.
The training package has dual objectives; first, to provide a standard of knowledge and skills to all participants, so as to enable them to understand the major elements incorporated into a maritime transport policy and its foundations, and second, to ensure proper understanding of the obligations of States and their implications, when formulating maritime policy and legislation, on the basis of international maritime treaties.