IMO Attends Key UN Migrant Summit
International Maritime Organization (IMO) is at the high-level UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants being held at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States.
A number of IMO treaties include provisions relating to migration by sea. These include SOLAS chapter V on Safety of Navigation, which requires the master of a ship at sea able to provide assistance to persons that are in distress at sea, to do so regardless of the nationality or status of such persons or the circumstances in which they are found.
Guidance on the legal framework for rescue at sea has been prepared by IMO, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and UNHCR. IMO has produced a series of three short films examining unsafe mixed migration by sea.
The films explore the following perspectives: “The migrants’ story”, “The rescuers’ story” and “The international response”. Chris Trelawny, Special Advisor on Maritime Security and Facilitation, is in New York representing IMO.
The UN General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration for refugees and migrants, which refers to the pledge to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
