Permanent Representative and Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo casts his vote at the election of IMO Council Members during the 31st IMO Assembly in London. Photo courtesy of IMO
30 November 2019 LONDON—The Philippines was re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under Category C for the biennium 2020-2021 at the elections held on 29 November 2019 during the 31st session of the General Assembly.
The Philippines retained its seat in the IMO Council at a highly competitive election which saw 24 countries vie for 20 available seats under Category C comprising of states which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation, and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.. The 31st Assembly of IMO meets in London at the IMO Headquarters from 25 November to 4 December 2019.
“The Philippine candidature is predicated on the unstinting commitment of the country to work closely with the IMO and all member states to achieve the goal of making shipping safe, secure, and environment friendly,” said Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo, who is also the Philippine Permanent Representative to the IMO, in his statement before the General Assembly.
He underscored that the Philippines actively pursues initiatives and policies that focus on the human element in shipping and puts a premium on the skills, competency and well-being of Filipino seafarers, who play a vital role in ensuring safe operations on board the ship and on the sea.
The Philippines has the largest nationality of maritime crew serving the international merchant fleet, and has a growing shipbuilding sector, making it the 5th largest shipbuilding nation in the world.
The Council to which the Philippines has been re-elected, is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible for supervising the work of the organization. The members of the Council under Category A are ten states with the largest interest in providing international shipping services, while those in Category B are ten states with the largest interest in international seaborne trade. The Philippines joins Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey in the list of member states elected under Category C for the biennium 2020-2021. END