Regional Partners

Over the years, IMO has concluded a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with several regional organizations which became strategic partners in the global effort to meet the capacity building needs of IMO Member States. Working together not only optimizes the use of the resources at regional level, but also ensures the delivery of tailor-made activities to address the needs of the recipient countries and to meet the objectives of the Organization. The regional partners have constantly contributed to the success of the IMO activities by providing technical expertise, financial and in-kind support and, most importantly, providing their valuable knowledge of their regions and the specific needs of the respective countries.

In 2015, the Marine Environment Division implemented the following activities with support from regional partners:

  • Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
    • Regional workshop to promote PSSAs in countries in the South Pacific (29-31 July 2015, Fiji)
    • National consultancy to draft National Ballast Water Management Strategy (28 September-2 October 2015, Samoa)
    • National consultancy to draft National Ballast Water Management Strategy (18-19 November 2015, Tuvalu)
  • The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC)
    • Establishment of a National HNS Response System (7-2 June 2015, Egypt)
    • Meeting of the Mediterranean Network of Law Enforcement Officials relating to MARPOL within the framework of the Barcelona Convention (MENELAS) (29 September-1 October 2015, France)
  • Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA)
    • Regional workshop on the establishment of PSSAs in the countries of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (26-28 May 2015, Saudi Arabia)
    • Regional workshop on the London Protocol (24-26 May 2015, Saudi Arabia)
    • Regional workshop on OPRC-HNS (8-10 June 2015, Egypt)
    • Regional workshop to raise awareness of the Biofouling Guidelines (14-15 September 2015, Egypt)
  • Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME)
    • Regional workshop on contingency planning for response to spills of HNS and oil in the marine environment (6-8 September 2015, Qatar)
  • The Black Sea Commission (BSC)
    • Regional workshop on implementation and enforcement of MARPOL Convention (15-17 December, Georgia)
  • South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP)
    • National preparatory meeting in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Maldives under the IMO-Norad project "Enhancing regional cooperation mechanisms on marine pollution preparedness and response in the SACEP region (Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka)" (2015)
    • Regional exercise conducted under the IMO-Norad project "Enhancing regional cooperation mechanisms on marine pollution preparedness and response in the SACEP region (Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka)" to test the operational procedures of the regional contingency plan and identify any gaps, and Regional workshop to discuss the outcome of the Regional Exercise (2-6 November 2015, Sri Lanka)