Un General Assembly News

The Coast Guard Foundation announced that its annual Tribute to the U.S. Coast Guard in Washington, D.C., will take place on June 7,2022, at the historic National Building Museum in Washington.The event celebrates the Coast Guard and raises funds for Coast Guard Foundation programs that support service members and their families when and where they are most in need.“We look forward to coming together with policymakers, industry leaders and government officials to highlight the heroism of the U.S.

Over 300 leading companies said on Tuesday they would work together to help hundreds of thousands of merchant sailors stuck on ships for many months due to COVID-19 in a crisis that risks creating more dangers at sea.About 90% of world trade is transported by sea, and coronavirus restrictions in many jurisdictions are affecting supply chains.In December the U.N. General Assembly urged all countries to designate seafarers and other maritime personnel as key workers. Nevertheless…

Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President, World Maritime University, discussed the ongoing seafarer crisis plus the new report from WMU, A Culture of Adjustment, which outlines systemic failures in the implementation of the regulatory regime for seafarers’ work and rest hours.Search as you like, but you will be hard-pressed to find anyone as passionate about all matters surrounding maritime and seafarers than Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry. Prior to taking the helm as president of the World Maritime University (WMU) six years ago…

The 193-member U.N. General Assembly urged all countries to designate seafarers and other marine personnel as key workers on Tuesday after travel restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19 have left hundreds of thousands stranded at sea for months.A unanimously adopted resolution encouraged governments to ensure safe ship crew changes and travel, allowing stranded seafarers to be repatriated and others to join ships."In this crisis, we need to show our attention, commitment and support to these invisible heroes…

30 companies and institutional investors have signed up to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Sustainable Ocean Principles committing to take action to secure a healthy and productive ocean.UNGC is a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact works with companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.The signatories to the principles include the container ship and supply vessel operator A.P. Møller – Mærsk, food and beverage company PepsiCo, and Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages one of the world’s largest funds with over US$ 1 trillion in assets.

The White House is warning Chinese shipping companies against turning off their ships' transponders to hide Iranian oil shipments in violation of U.S. sanctions, two senior administration officials said."We've been messaging very heavily to the shipping companies, you don't want to do this, it's not worth it," said one official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. "It's incredibly dangerous and irresponsible behavior."China is the largest remaining buyer of Iranian oil after U.S. President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Tehran's main export. Trump tightened U.S.

Japan will not join a U.S.-led security mission to protect merchant vessels passing through key Middle Eastern waterways, but will consider deploying its naval force independently, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Tuesday.Though the United States is Japan's most important ally, Tokyo has fostered economic ties with Iran, and Japanese firms had been major buyers of Iranian oil until U.S. sanctions forced them to find other suppliers.Citing unidentified government sources, the…

Blockchain Labs for Open Collaboration (BLOC), has won Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Solve’s Coastal Communities Challenge, for its work in developing shipping Emissions Monitoring Reporting (MRV) solutions.The Blockchain technology and governance specialist said in a press release that it was selected from 33 teams participating in the Solve Challenge Finals, which included a live pitch event at the UN General Assembly week in New York City.The Solver teams were selected by Solve’s Challenge Leadership Group judges as the most promising set of solutions tackling large-scale global challenges.BLOC’s Shipping Emissions Monitoring…

Unsafe mixed migration by sea continues to claim many lives, despite the strenuous efforts made by Governmental and naval rescue services, often supported by merchant vessels, abiding by the long-standing tradition and legal obligation to go to the rescue of persons in distress at sea. The complexities of this humanitarian challenge were discussed on Monday (30 October) at a meeting hosted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), bringing together representatives of UN agencies, the maritime industry and European Union naval forces. For the rescued and seafarers alike, the experience can be harrowing. A modern merchant vessel is unsuited to carrying large numbers of survivors…

Solutions to address human-induced “Ocean Change” are needed to save life in the ocean and reverse the cycle of decline in which it is caught, according to Fiji's Ambassador Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the Ocean. Peter Thomson, who was visiting the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, said that as a Fijian, he had personally witnessed the degradation of the marine environment in his lifetime, citing marine litter and coral bleaching as just two examples. “As a grandfather I find these changes tragic. It is time for us to implement the solutions to ocean's many problems,” he said. Special Envoy Thomson told a briefing of IMO senior staff that the UN Ocean Conference…

​The loss of life of migrants at sea is a humanitarian tragedy that needs to be addressed through appropriate and effective action at the United Nations. International Maritime Organization (IMO) recognizes the crucial role played by both Government and non-governmental organizations in search and rescue operations, as well as the part played by merchant ships in coming to the aid of persons in distress at sea. During the second workshop of the International Dialogue on Migration (IDM), held in Geneva (18-19 July), IMO’s Julian Abril told the meeting that the number of merchant ships involved in rescue operations has remained relatively constant since 2015. The average number of persons rescued by each merchant ship remains over 110.

The 193 Member States of the United Nations unanimously agreed to a set of measures that will begin the reversal of the decline of the ocean’s health as the five-day Ocean Conference concluded this afternoon. The outcome document, together with more than 1,300 commitments to action, marks a breakthrough in the global approach to the management and conservation of the ocean. The Ocean Conference, the first UN conference of its kind on the issue has raised global consciousness of ocean problems ranging from marine pollution to illegal and over fishing, from ocean acidification to lack of high seas governance. By including all stakeholders in the discussions, the Conference produced a comprehensive and actionable range of solutions.

Opening the Ocean Conference, UN officials stressed the need to protect and conserve the world's oceans for future generations. Opening a “game-changing” international conference on the health of the world’s oceans and seas, top United Nations officials today urged coordinated global action to protect the planet. Speaking in the UN General Assembly Hall, Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned Governments that unless they overcome short-term territorial and resource interests, the state of the oceans will continue to deteriorate. “Improving the health of our oceans is a test for multilateralism, and we cannot afford to fail,” the Secretary-General said addressing his first major UN conference since taking on his post.

The event raised awareness and improved technical knowledge of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) among officials and other stakeholders in Fiji who may be involved in preparing to submit PSSA proposals in Fiji to IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee. IMO’s Edward Kleverlaan highlighted that PSSAs are similar to marine protected areas – essentially areas that need special protection through action by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) because of their significance for recognised ecological, socioeconomic or scientific reasons. The PSSA scheme fits perfectly within the objective of the Sustainable Development Goal 14, the so-called ‘Ocean Goal’ of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

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.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)  will have an important contribution to make to the UN 2017 Oceans Conference, which is being co-hosted by Fiji and Sweden from 5 to 9 June 2017. It has aims to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development). Through the development of global standards to ensure shipping does not adversely impact the environment and through its extensive technical cooperation programme, IMO supports the aims and objectives of SDG 14. Preparations for the 2017 Oceans Conference were discussed when Stefan Micallef, IMO’s Director, Marine Environment Division, met the representative of the co-host, H.E.

On February 3, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for ship safety, maritime security and prevention of pollution from ships. Ban met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and IMO’s Senior Management Committee, also addressing representatives of IMO Member States and IMO staff. Secretary-General Ban highlighted the role that IMO and the maritime sector had to play in translating landmark agreements such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development…

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will launch a multi-billion-dollar clean energy research and development initiative on Monday, the opening day of the U.N. climate change summit in Paris, GreenWire reported Friday. Gates and a group of developing and developed countries will agree to double their research and development budgets to boost clean energy deployment and work collaboratively, according to GreenWire, an energy and climate trade publication, citing government and business officials familiar with the agreement. Access to clean energy technology will play a key role in a global agreement to combat climate change. More than 190 countries will negotiate a new pact in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. Gates will join Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S.

The U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) last week adopted a formal resolution to develop a legally-binding treaty for the conservation of marine biodiversity on the ‘high seas’. The new ocean regulations are proposed to include: area-based management tools, such as marine planning and marine protected areas; environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirements; the transfer of marine technology; and a regime for managing marine genetic resources, including benefit-sharing. These developments have potentially significant implications for ocean economic activities, such as shipping, oil and gas, cruise tourism, fishing, marine mining, biotechnology, submarine cable, as well as for related sectors, such as maritime law, insurance and investment.

IMO Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has officially established the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response and has instructed the advance teams for the first-of-its-kind operation to head to its base in Accra, Ghana, by Monday, 22 September. Following the unanimous adoption of a key resolution by the 193-Member UN General Assembly, and after Thursday's historic meeting of the Security Council, which declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a threat to peace and security, Mr. Ban announced that he has now established the UN emegerncy response mission, to be known as UNMEER. The Mission's initial roll-out is a major step in the UN's expanding effort to tackle what World Health Organization chief Dr.

ITU World Telecommunications and Information Society Day - WTISD 2014, was celebrated on 16th May 2014 at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva to mark the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865 and the creation of the ITU. Broadband for Sustainable Development was the theme of the high level meeting that took place on the occasion and which was attended by the IMSO Director General. industries, conduct long distance diagnosis and treatments in remote locations, and promote innovative educational applications around the world. All of these elements mentioned by the UN Secretary-General are relevant to communications at sea: monitoring transport systems…

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) made progress on a packed agenda when it met for its 56th session from 9 to 13 July in London. Among a series of important decisions, it agreed to commission a study into the impact of proposed measures to reduce air pollution from ships. The Committee also further developed the proposed Ship Recycling Convention, discussed issues relating to the implementation of the 2004 Ballast Water Management Convention and adopted a number of amendments to the MARPOL Convention. Mr. Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) addressed the opening session of the Committee, at the invitation of IMO Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos.