Environmental Mandate |
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The mandate of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as a United Nations specialized agency, is to promote safe, secure, environmentally sound, efficient and sustainable shipping. This is accomplished by adopting the highest practicable standards of maritime safety and security and prevention and control of pollution from ships, as well as through consideration of the related legal matters and effective implementation of IMO’s instruments with a view to their universal and uniform application. |
Environmental Activities |
Within its environmental mandate, IMO has developed and adopted a range of international instruments to address marine pollution arising from international shipping, which include the:
- International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
- International Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties
- International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation
- International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage
- International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage
- Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter
- International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships
- International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments
In addition, a range of mandatory and voluntary Guidelines and Codes have been developed and adopted to provide international standards for the safe transport, storage and handling of harmful substances. IMO has Secretariat responsibilities for such instruments and regulations, and regularly reviews and updates these through the Marine Environment Protection Committee which is IMO's senior technical body on marine pollution related matters.
IMO’s environmental activities are supported by an Integrated Technical Co-operation Programme, that specifically assists Governments which lack the technical knowledge and resources that are needed to ratify and/or implement the marine pollution related instruments.
IMO has developed and maintains strong working relationships with the UNEP Regional Seas Programmes. IMO also established and administers, in co-operation with UNEP, the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean (REMPEC) within the framework of both the UNEP Regional Seas Programme and the Mediterranean Action Plan. |
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