“SUSTAINABLE shipping for a sustainable planet” has been selected as the World Maritime theme for 2020, according to the IMO.
This them aims to provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and showcase the work the International Maritime Organization and its member states are doing to achieve targets.
The IMO Council, meeting for its 122nd session at IMO Headquarters in London, endorsed the theme, following a proposal by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim.
“I believe that this theme will provide flexibility to the Secretariat and the member states in highlighting the myriad topics and challenges in meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,” Mr Lim said.
“At the same time, it will provide excellent opportunities to highlight the already significant contributions of shipping and the IMO to building that sustainable future.”
Mr Lim said the year 2020 would mark the beginning of a decade of action and delivery.
“It will be a decisive decade not only for the shipping industry, but for life on the planet,” Mr Lim said.
He noted September 2019 would see a gathering of heads of state at the United Nations in New York, to take stock of how far the world has come in realising sustainable development commitments.
“The shipping industry, with the support of the IMO regulatory framework, has already started the transition towards this sustainable future,” Mr Lim said.
