4 th ASEM Transport Ministers' Meeting Bali, Indonesia, 26-28 September 2017 Address on the challenges and trajectories of Global Maritime Fulcrum By Juvenal J. Shiundu, Acting Director, Technical Cooperation Division International Maritime Organization Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you greetings from Mr. Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) who would have liked to be personally here but due to other engagements, has requested me to represent him. It is a pleasure and honour to be here with you today on this beautiful island of Bali to discuss transport connectivity and synergies, as well as sustainable transport development. Our theme for this inaugural session is "A Global Maritime Fulcrum; strengthening logistical connectivity of Asia and Europe". I am informed that the Global Maritime Fulcrum has seven pillars - an increase from the original five. A look at those pillars shows that IMO's work impacts and cross-cuts on all of them. As the United Nation's regulatory agency responsible for the maritime sector, IMO's mission "to promote safe, secure and environmentally sound, efficient and sustainable shipping through cooperation" offers opportunities, challenges and trajectories to the Global Maritime Fulcrum. How do we connect Asia and Europe? We need maritime transport - some would say infrastructure, rules and regulations! As many of you would be aware, tomorrow is World Maritime Day, and IMO's World Maritime Day theme for this year is "Connecting Ships, Ports and People." This theme was chosen because it highlights the many diverse actors involved in the areas of shipping and logistics. Shipping, ports and the people that operate them help countries create conditions for increased employment, prosperity and stability through promoting maritime trade; enhancing the port and maritime sectors as wealth creators both on land and, through developing a sustainable blue economy, at sea.
World Maritime Day is an official United Nations observance day. Every year, it provides an opportunity to focus attention on the importance of shipping and other maritime activities, and to highlight the significant contribution of the IMO and its Member States to global efforts to improve the safety, security, sustainability and efficiency of shipping and to protect the marine environment. It does this by emphasizing particular aspects of IMO's work. The theme for 2017 "Connecting Ships, Ports and People" builds on the 2016 theme "Shipping: indispensable to the world". It focuses on the importance of developing and implementing maritime strategies in a joined-up approach that addresses a wide range of issues, including the facilitation of maritime transport, increasing efficiency, navigational safety, protection of the marine environment, and maritime security. It encourages stakeholders to promote best practices and to build bridges between the many diverse actors involved in these areas. The World Maritime Day themes for 2016 and 2017 are complementary and may be seen as a response to the United Nations post-2015 sustainable development agenda and, in particular, the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. What are the SDGs? Well, for us in the United Nations family, they are a central theme that runs throughout all of our work. There are 17 SDGs and 169 related targets and they were unanimously adopted in September 2015 by the 193 Member States of the United Nations (including 170 Member States of IMO) as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda calls for action by all countries to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030 worldwide and the SDGs are seen as an opportunity to transform the world for the better and leave no-one behind. Shipping and the Global Maritime Fulcrum have relevance to all 17 SDGs, with both a direct and an indirect impact on their delivery. Shipping is essential to the world we live in. Billions of people all over the world rely on shipping in their everyday lives, as it is the most cost-effective and fuel-efficient way to carry goods, making it the backbone of world trade. Enhanced connectivity between Asia and Europe could strengthen economic integration and growth. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), around 80% of global trade by volume and over 70% of global trade by value are carried by sea and are handled by ports worldwide. 2
Shipping is thus an essential component of future sustainable economic growth. But at the same time, shipping itself needs to be sustainable - and this means shipping activities have to be balanced with the oceans' capacity to remain healthy and diverse in the long term. This is where IMO comes in. A key role for IMO is to ensure that shipping continues to make its contribution to the global economy but without upsetting that delicate balance. The framework of global standards and regulations, developed by governments at IMO, covers all aspects of international shipping including ship design, construction, equipment, manning, operation and disposal. IMO regulations and technical standards have laid the foundation for shipping to become progressively safer, more efficient, cleaner and greener. By promoting trade by sea (including between Asia and Europe), nurturing national and regional shipping lines and promoting seafaring as a career; by improving port infrastructure and efficiency; by developing and strengthening inter-modal links and hinterland connections; by managing and protecting fisheries, exploring offshore energy production and even by fostering tourism shipping can both drive and support a growing global economy. Improved economic development, supported by sustainable maritime development and underpinned by good maritime security, will support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and complement United Nations initiatives by addressing some of the factors that lead to instability, insecurity and uncontrolled mixed migration. Looking ahead, I believe the positive benefits of IMO's work should be felt further, throughout the logistical supply chain. IMO can, and should, be the catalyst for dialogue and communication within and throughout the shipping industry, the transport industry and the logistics industry in short, the entire global supply chain and everything that affects it. But what are the challenges and trajectories of Global Maritime Fulcrum and IMO? 3
We live in challenging times. The population of the world exceeds 7 billion and is increasing. The populations of many developing States are set to double by 2050. In addition to population increase the world today faces many, often related challenges: climate change; threats to the environment; unsustainable exploitation of natural resources; threats to food security; societal threats posed by organized criminals; and instability leading to mixed migration. All of these threaten the cohesion of societies and impact on developing countries' ability to trade and to grow. Ultimately, more efficient shipping, working in partnership with all stakeholders, will be a major driver towards global stability and sustainable development for the good of all people. That's why I believe that our theme for this year, and your theme for this meeting, is so relevant and so exciting. This meeting will provide a valuable opportunity to engage with some of the key issues we face today. Sustainability and security, Greenhouse gas emissions, the sulphur content of ships fuel, ballast water management, and the adoption of the Polar Code are just several recent examples of how IMO is responding to today s challenges, and all have a profound and beneficial impact far beyond the shipping industry. Looking ahead, technology and the use of data hold the key to a safer and more sustainable future for shipping. Thanks to new technology emerging in so many areas such as fuel and energy use, automation and vessel management, materials and construction, shipping is entering a new era. But technological advances present challenges as well as opportunities, so their introduction into the regulatory framework needs to be considered carefully. We need to balance the benefits against safety and security concerns, the impact on the environment and on international trade, the potential costs to the industry and, not least, their impact on personnel, both on board and ashore. So how we incorporate new technology into the regulatory framework is a key issue for IMO. On the agenda of the Maritime Safety Committee, for example, you will find future-orientated items such as cyber security, e-navigation, modernizing maritime distress and safety communications as well as the rapidly emerging prospect of 4
autonomous vessels. It is absolutely right that IMO should take a proactive and leading role in these issues. IMO is the only forum where such issues can be fully discussed, and aired, and where the appropriate actions can then be taken. IMO provides a tangible focus for development of innovative, game-changing technical solutions for shipping. There is a long history of new technologies bringing significant beneficial changes in the way ships are designed, constructed and operated in direct response to IMO regulations. We call this the regulatory imperative and it represents a vital contribution, not only for shipping but also for the billions of people who rely on it. Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, As we discuss the connectivity and sustainability of our transport systems here today, I look forward to the IMO spirit of cooperation continuing to reflect and drive improvements and enhancements in the shipping world to truly connecting, ships, ports and people. Thank you. 5