MEETING CHALLENGE AND CHANGE, TOGETHER KITACK LIM, SECRETARY-GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION
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nobtrusively and efficiently, shipping reaches into the furthest corners of the globe to supply the world’s populations with an uninterrupted daily flow of goods. Through the smooth operation of this vital industry, food, raw materials, products, energy and consumer goods reach them reliably, effectively and at relatively low cost. By providing improved access to basic materials, goods and products, by facilitating commerce and helping create prosperity among nations and people, shipping is helping lift millions of persons out of poverty. The maritime industry today is central to the functioning of civilization as we know it, through the vessels of international trade, their connection through ports, inter-modal links and hinterland networks, and the projects that bring energy in from offshore. Thus, we can truly say that there is no part of our lives that has not been touched, in one way or another, by ships and shipping.
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In this essential industry, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as a specialized agency of the United Nations, has the role of being the global standard-setting authority for its safety, security and environmental performance. IMO Member States create a global regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and implemented.
A BANNER YEAR FOR ALL
This is a special year for IMO, as we celebrate two major anniversaries: 70 years since the IMO Convention was adopted and 60 years since it entered into force. Thus, our theme for 2018 – “Our Heritage: Better Shipping for a Better Future” – reflects on the past and looks to the years that lie ahead. In 1948, only three years after the creation of the United Nations, a new spirit of global unity was in the air and the first glimpses of a new world order
