U.N. Secretary-General Praises IMO
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the headquarters of the IMO on Wednesday highlighting the major role that IMO and the maritime sector had to play in translating landmark agreements such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Ban commended the IMO for its contribution to the fight to combat climate change, including through the adoption of legally binding energy efficiency measures for ships.
Reflecting the IMO World Maritime Day theme for 2016, Ban said that shipping was “indispensable to world trade.” He highlighted IMO’s efforts to help develop maritime trade, improve port infrastructure and promote seafaring as a career.
Ban praised the shipping industry and rescue services for saving hundreds of thousands of lives, often at considerable cost and danger to themselves, particularly in the Mediterranean in what he referred to as the biggest crisis of forced displacement since the Second World War.
A high-level U.N. meeting on September 19, ahead of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, will aim to find solutions, including establishing safe and legal migration pathways and addressing the conflicts and other failures that force people to risk their lives in this way.
One of Ban’s first major initiatives as Secretary-General was the 2007 Climate Change Summit, followed by extensive diplomatic efforts that have helped put the issue at the forefront of the global agenda.
A Korean, Ban is the eighth Secretary-General of the U.N. His priorities have been to mobilize world leaders around a set of new global challenges, from climate change and economic upheaval to pandemics and increasing pressures involving food, energy and water. He has sought to be a bridge-builder, to give voice to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and to strengthen the organization itself.
"I grew up in war", he said, "and saw the U.N. help my country to recover and rebuild. That experience was a big part of what led me to pursue a career in public service. As Secretary-General, I am determined to see this organization deliver tangible, meaningful results that advance peace, development and human rights."
Ban took office on January 1, 2007. On June 21, 2011, he was unanimously re-elected by the General Assembly and will continue to serve until December 31, 2016.
Ban met with fellow Korean IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim, who took up the position on January 1, 2016. Lim has pledged to strengthen partnerships between developing and developed countries, between governments and industry and between IMO member states and regions.