IMO Establishes New Partnerships Department

The IMO has established a new department within the IMO Secretariat to focus on supporting Member States as they tackle global issues such as energy efficiency, climate change and environmental protection.

The department will be the focal point for developing partnerships and coordinating long-term donor-funded projects, as well as implementing IMO's resource mobilization strategy to strengthen its Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme.

It will serve as a gateway for partnership opportunities with a wide range of external partners, including IMO Member States, U.N. agencies, financial institutions, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations and the private sector. A key objective will be to increase IMO's existing portfolio of donor-supported long-term projects supporting its technical cooperation objectives.

With the new department, the existing Partnerships and Resource Mobilization team within IMO's Technical Cooperation Division and the Major Projects team in the Marine Environment Division come together under a single umbrella. 

The new department will be headed by Jose Matheickal, who brings more than 15 years' experience of leading and coordinating major projects at IMO, supported by Youngso Kim, who will lead the partnerships function within the new structure.

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said, "For the benefits of sustainable development to be evenly spread, all countries must be able to play a full and active part in maritime activities. Building partnerships is key to this. This new department will help that to happen. It's very much in line with my vision of a 'Voyage Together' where no one is left behind when it comes to the effective implementation of IMO's global standards."