Indonesia Re-elected as IMO Board Member

London, MINA – Indonesia re-elected as a member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council in Category C, 2022-2023 period.

According to a press statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia on Saturday, the election which took place on the sidelines of the 32nd IMO Assembly, Indonesia was successfully elected by obtaining 127 votes and ranked 7th out of 27 candidate countries running for office to fill 20 seats for the IMO Category C Board members for the period 2022-2023.

In the limited meeting, the Indonesian Ambassador to London, Desra Believe represented Indonesia in the election which was conducted through the secret ballot mechanism, while the other Indonesian delegates took part in the virtual election.

“Alhamdulillah, Indonesia has been successfully re-elected as a member of the IMO Council for the period 2022-2023. Despite many challenges, especially because of the difficulty of physical raising, Indonesia was able to be elected with the support of Indonesian representatives in all IMO member countries and a mutual support strategy, as well as the support of colleagues at the Ministry of Transportation,” said Febrian Ruddyard, Director General of Multilateral Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who followed the course of the event virtual meeting.

The election of Indonesia as a member of the IMO Council Category C for the period 2022-2023 shows the world’s recognition of Indonesia’s existence in the international maritime sector.

As a member of the IMO Council, Indonesia has the opportunity to play an active role in determining IMO policies that have a great impact on the maritime world.

As an archipelagic country with a very wide territorial waters, Indonesia’s membership in the IMO, especially on the IMO Council can be utilized to support the creation of safety and security for international shipping.

IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.

The IMO Board is the executive organ of the organization responsible for overseeing the work and performance of the organization. The board is elected for a term of two years.

There are 3 categories of IMO Board Members, namely Category A, B, and C. Board members in Category A are the 10 member countries with the largest fleet. Category B represents 10 other countries with the greatest interest in the use of shipping services.

While category C is 20 countries that are not members of categories A and B but have a special interest in maritime transportation or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure representation of all major geographic areas in the world. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)