India was re-elected to the IMO Council

LONDON: India was re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) after the elections held at the General Assembly in London for the 2022-2023 financial period.
India’s elections fall into the category of 10 states of paramount importance in international maritime trade, along with Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.
The newly elected Council will meet formally on Wednesday at the end of the 32nd session of the International Maritime Organization’s 126th session, and will elect its President and Vice-President for the next two-year term.
“India has been re-elected to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council,” the Indian High Commission in London said in a statement posted on Twitter after Friday’s election.
“India’s delegation to the IMO extends its sincere thanks to all member states and looks forward to working with all for the realization of our common goals,” the statement said.
The Council is the executive body of the International Maritime Organization and, under the direction of the Assembly, is responsible for overseeing the work of the organization. Between sessions of the Assembly, the Council performs the functions of the Assembly, except to make recommendations to governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention.
China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States were elected to the Council in the category of ten countries with “higher interest in providing international freight services”. .
Meanwhile, another 20 unelected nations within the two categories were elected to the council to ensure that all major geographic regions of the world are represented as having “special interests in shipping or navigation”. The 20 countries on the list are the Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and Vanuatu.
The 32nd Assembly of the International Maritime Organization is currently meeting at IMO Headquarters in London from 6-15 December. All 175 Member States and the three Associate Members are entitled to attend the Assembly, the supreme governing body of the International Maritime Organization.
Intergovernmental organizations with which cooperation agreements have been concluded and international non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the International Maritime Organization are invited to attend.
The General Assembly usually meets in ordinary session once every two years. It is responsible for approving the work programme, voting on the budget and defining the organization’s financial arrangements. It also elects the organization’s 40-member Board of Directors at these meetings for the next two years.