Indonesia’s membership of the IMO Council under Category C for the 2022 to 2023 period will end its chapter in December at the 33rd IMO Assembly meeting that will be held from Nov. 27 until Dec. 6, 2023.

During his opening speech, the Sea Transportation director general, Arif Toha, mentioned how Indonesia’s membership in the IMO Council plays a significant role, considering that Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world and is key to the global economic trade.

“We expect support from all parties so that Indonesia can be reelected as a member in the IMO Council under Category C for the 2024 to 2025 period,” added Arif.

He also highlighted that Indonesia occupied more than 80 percent of the world trade that is transported by sea. This empowers Indonesia’s strategic geographical location of the Malacca Strait, the Sunda Strait and the Lombok Strait, which are journeyed by ships from Europe to the East and to Australia.

Indonesia’s membership in the IMO Council, according to Arif, will strengthen President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s vision and mission in evolving Indonesia in the world maritime axis through maritime diplomacy, alongside providing an opportunity for Indonesia to contribute in determining world policies within the maritime sector.

“The launch of the logo, tagline and website www.indonesiaforimo.com is the beginning of Indonesia’s campaign for its membership in the IMO Council under Category C for the 2024 to 2025 period,” noted Arif.

The theme Our commitment to Safety, Security and Sustainability at Sea reflects Indonesia’s commitment in realizing the value of safety, security and environmentally sound shipping, explained Arief.

“This is also in line with Indonesia’s commitment to support the 2023 IMO theme, which highlights protection from pollution for the maritime environment that is often caused by shipping,” said Arief.

The logo and tagline launched today are expected to actualize themselves as information and promotional media for Indonesia's renomination as a member of the IMO Council under Category C for the 2024 to 2025 period. This will be covered in the print media, the digital media and other promotional media, while the website itself can be a leading source of reliability regarding Indonesia’s achievements and role as a member of the IMO Council.

“For this reason, I hope that all parties can contribute by actively disseminating the logo and tagline on official social media accounts of respective organizations or institutions, as a form of joint effort in the success of Indonesia’s renomination as a member of the IMO Council for the upcoming period, and also the nomination of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) as an IMO External Auditor for the 2024 to 2027 period,” concluded Arif in his closing speech.

Attending the launching event were officials from the Transportation Ministry, the BPK, the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister, the Foreign Ministry, the Law and Human Rights Ministry, the Environment and Forestry Ministry, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Indonesian Navy, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), along with the Transportation attaché, the head of the UPT of the Sea Transportation Directorate General, state-owned enterprise leaders, associations and other stakeholders, who attended the event in person and online.

The IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations who is responsible for maritime safety and security and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. The IMO Council is the executive organ of the organization, responsible for instrumentalizing the organization and for overseeing the work and performance of the organization itself.

Members of the IMO Council fall under three categories, namely Category A, Category B and Category C. Members in Category A consist of 10 countries with the largest fleet, while Category B, also consisting of 10 countries, have the greatest interest in the use of shipping services. Members of Category C are 20 countries that have a special interest in maritime transportation or navigation, and whose election to the council will ensure the representation of all major geographic regions of the world.

In London in December 2021, Indonesia was elected at the 32nd IMO Assembly session obtaining 127 votes, and ranked 7th out of the 27 candidate countries that occupied the 20 seats of the IMO Council under Category C in the 2022 to 2023 period.

For more information regarding Indonesia’s membership in the IMO Council for the 2024 to 2025 period, please visit the official website at www.indonesiaforimo.com.

Popular

PDI-P will likely be part of opposition: Ganjar

Indonesia one step from Olympics after beating South Korea

Bahlil leads task force to boost sugar, bioethanol production in Papua