IMO to establish new office in Fiji to support Pacific Island countries
At the International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters in London on 18 March, Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of IMO, and Ro Filipe Tuisawau, minister for Public Works, Meteorological Services, and Transport of the Republic of Fiji, officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the opening of a new IMO office in Fiji.
The Regional Presence Office is established to address the maritime needs and priorities of Pacific Island countries. It will ensure alignment of IMO actions with national and regional development policies, offering guidance on crucial maritime matters such as training, safety, security, legislation, and marine environment protection, according to the statement.
Additionally, the Office will play an important role in facilitating active field-level involvement in implementing the IMO's technical cooperation framework.
On behalf of the Fijian Government, Ro Filipe Tuisawau commented, “The IMO Pacific Regional Presence Office provides an opportunity to address critical issues, including the challenge of providing an efficient inter-island shipping service, to ensure the safety of our Pacific people in inter-island shipping.
He further added, “As host of this regional office, Pacific Member States will be assisted in addressing global standards for ships, and compliance issues related to energy efficiency, safety equipment and maintenance of safety systems according to IMO standards.”
Furthermore, governments in the Pacific Islands have emphasized the necessity for increased opportunities within the maritime sector, particularly for the youth. This includes advocating for seafarer certification and broader employment prospects.
“I welcome this opportunity to enhance the global presence of the IMO as well as our ability to work in step with the Pacific region and Member States. In addition to Fiji as host country, I would like to thank the Governments of Australia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands for their generous financial and in-kind support which has helped make this collaboration a reality,” stated IMO Secretary-General Dominguez.
The upcoming office in Suva, the capital and largest city of Fiji, will serve as the seventh Regional Presence Office for the IMO and will operate under the leadership of a Regional Coordinator. It will complement the existing offices located in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (Francophone) for West and Central Africa; Accra, Ghana (Anglophone) for West and Central Africa; Nairobi, Kenya for Eastern and Southern Africa; Manila, the Philippines for East Asia; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago for the Caribbean; and Alexandria, Egypt for the Middle East and North Africa.
In the Pacific Islands region, there are a total of 14 IMO Member States, which include Australia and New Zealand. The other twelve are small island developing States (SIDS), with three classified as least developed countries (LDCs).