The adoption of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, held at the UN Sustainable Development Summit, has been welcomed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The UN Summit, held between Friday 25 September and Sunday 27 September, saw the 17 SDGS and 169 targets follow on and build from the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which were agreed by governments in 2001. The SDGS intend to balance the economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainable development.
These SDGS form part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a plan based around people, planet and prosperity and which seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. The 2030 Agenda recognises that poverty eradication, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.
The IMO welcomed these movements, indicating that sustainable development is vital for a prosperous future, and recognising that maritime transportation is a key player in supporting trade and expanding economies. In particular, three goals have been highlighted as particularly vital for the organisation:
Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.
Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
The IMO have been involved in the development of the SDGS in various ways, including the development of a sustainable maritime transport system (SMTS) which identifies the different imperatives that must be met to implement an SMTS and the activities that need to be undertaken to achieve them.
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu commented: “The International Maritime Organization stands ready to support the further development and implementation of the SDGs and I am confident that all IMO Member States will engage in discussions on how best to realise them, thorough IMO’s work, particularly through the IMO Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme”.
Secretary-General Sekimizu continued: “I would also like to welcome the fact that the 2030 agenda calls upon partnerships not just amongst countries, but also other stakeholders including the private sector. IMO has been working with many different partnerships in its global and regional projects and I look forward to further strengthening these links”.
