IMO Briefing 31/2006
18 September 2006
World Maritime Day 2006: Preview
World shipping community gets ready to celebrate World Maritime Day 2006
World Maritime Day 2006 will be celebrated on 28 September. IMO's theme for this year's World Maritime Day is "Technical Co-operation: IMO's response to the 2005 World Summit", which was chosen to focus on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) adopted by the United Nations as the world community's response to challenges such as hunger, disease and environmental degradation.
"Maritime activity has a key role to play in meeting the Millennium Development Goals, for shipping not only moves the world's burgeoning trade, but can also contribute substantially to sustainable development, while international commerce promotes production, job creation and greater socio-economic prosperity. And the combination of all these has, undoubtedly, the potential to lift people from hunger and poverty and also eradicate life-threatening diseases," said Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, Secretary-General.
The WMD message and background paper are available on the IMO website www.imo.org
IMO to host reception
The traditional IMO reception will be held at Banqueting House, Whitehall, in London. The change of venue this year is due to the relocation of the Organization during the refurbishment of the Headquarters premises. The London event will be attended by many distinguished guests, including members of the diplomatic corps, members of the maritime community and representatives of the City of London and of organizations and other entities associated with the work of the Organization and the Secretariat.
World Maritime Day will also be observed and celebrated in many Member States and by many organizations associated with IMO, providing an opportunity to promote shipping as a major contributor to the economy of the world and the welfare of nations, developed and developing alike.
According to information received at IMO, the following celebrations are being planned this year:
Australia will be holding an IMO World Maritime Day 2006 seminar entitled "Charting the future of Technical Co-operation: Australian contributions and interests", with the participation of many well known shipping personalities.
The Maritime Authorities of Brazil will hold a ceremony at CIAGA (Training Centre Admiral Graça Aranha) in Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 28 September, to be attended by the Commander of the Brazilian Navy with representatives of the military and civilian authorities, representatives of the Federal and State Governments and representatives of the shipping industry as a whole. In the evening, a performance by the Symphonic Band of the Brazilian Marine Corps will be held at the port captaincies and other agencies through the country, with the participation of local communities.
New Zealand will be holding an evening cocktail party on 19 September 2006 to celebrate World Maritime Day with the participation of the Minister for Transport, who will deliver a speech based on the Secretary-General's message for World Maritime Day 2006.
The Maritime Authority of Bolivia will hold a week-long programme of activities from Monday, 25 September, disseminating the World Maritime Day message 2006 and other maritime information through TV and radio every day of the week, culminating in a "Vin d'Honneur" and the speech of the Director General of the General Merchant Marine Directorate of Bolivia.
The Colombian Maritime Authority has organized special celebrations to mark World Maritime Day 2006 in conjunction with the 54th anniversary of the Colombian Maritime Authority, to be held in Bogotá from 27 to 29 September 2006, in the form of an Exhibition and National Conference on Maritime and Coastal Development, EXPOMARES 2006. The Secretary-General has sent a goodwill message to be read at EXPOMARES.
The Islamic Republic of Iran every year through the IRISL (Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines) includes an article in their company magazine. The article will focus on the text of the Secretary-General's message for World Maritime Day.
Thailand has arranged a few events to spread the message of the Secretary-General for World Maritime Day.
Madagascar is celebrating World Maritime Day 2006 and the IMO logo has been authorized to be used in the banners for their events.
For further updated information on other celebrations around the world please contact: Ms Natasha Brown: media@imo.org
Singapore parallel event
This year's IMO World Maritime Day parallel event, will be celebrated in Singapore on 25 September 2006. The IMO Secretary-General will be represented by Mr. David Edwards, Director of IMO's Technical Co operation Division.
It will take the form of a special World Maritime Day @ Singapore Forum on the theme "Shipping for Growth and Development", jointly organized by IMO and the Port Authority of Singapore. The IMO Council Chairman, Mr. Johan Franson, will lead an international panel of experts composed of Mr. Igor Ponomarev, Chairman of the Maritime Safety Committee; Mr. Ben Owusu-Mensah, Chairman of the Technical Co-operation Committee; Vice-Admiral Francisco Martinez Villaroel, Director-General of the Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine of Chile; Dr. Peter Swift, Managing Director of INTERTANKO; and Mr. Julian Bray, Editor of Lloyd's List. The Forum will be followed by a reception in the evening, jointly hosted by Mr. Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport of Singapore, Mr. Franson and Mr. Edwards.
The IMO World Maritime Day parallel event is the second to be organized, following a similar event in Lisbon, Portugal in November 2005.
Further information: http://www.mpa.gov.sg/
International maritime organizations in London host special event, to be opened by IMO's Secretary-General
In the United Kingdom, the historic ship Wellington, berthed in central London, will be the venue for a special event, jointly organized by the Honourable Company of Master Mariners (HCMM) and the International Maritime Pilots Association (IMPA), to celebrate World Maritime Day. The event on 28 September 2006 has the active participation of IMO and other organizations.
Under the banner "Sea's the future", the event will showcase the contribution made by United Kingdom-based maritime institutions in support of the international shipping industry and to highlight the vital role of shipping in world trade. In all, 34 leading shipping industry and associated international organizations will promote the latest technological developments and visitors, including young people from local schools, will get a chance to meet key players in the industry, drive ship simulators and gain a unique insight into the transportation of goods by sea.
IMO Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios Mitropoulos will open the event which, later on, will be attended by HRH The Princess Royal, the Lord Mayor of London (Mr. David Brewer, CMG), the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, KCB, ADC), and the Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency (Mr. John Astbury, CBE) and Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of easyJet who has had a long association with shipping.
Further information: www.worldmaritimeday.com
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IMO - the International Maritime Organization - is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
Web site: www.imo.org
For further information please contact:
Lee Adamson, Head, Public Information Services on 020 7587 3153 (media@imo.org) or Natasha Brown, External Relations Officer on 020 7587 3274 (media@imo.org).