The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon drew attention to the role of the shipping industry and its seafarers in moving forward the international agenda on sustainable development and climate change during his address on the Day of the Seafarer 2016 held on June 25, 2016.
The Day of the Seafarer, which was established in 2010 to recognise the contribution seafarers make to international seaborne trade, the world economy and global society.
Ban Ki-moon spoke of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change that has led the world to carry out plans for the future, both of which can be advanced through the actions of the shipping industry.
Ban Ki-moon praised seafarers for helping to keep the world’s people clothed, fed and housed and stated that by doing so they have the potential to drive economic growth that is socially inclusive and environmentally sound.
However, he was quick to say that whilst carrying out these activities, seafarers must benefit from the Sustainable Development Goals. Seafarers face dangerous and difficult working conditions, loneliness, isolation and exploitation, and therefore must receive appreciation for their efforts and compensated for their labour.
Ban Ki-moon commented: “On this Day of the Seafarer, let us advance the work of those who make shipping possible in a way that promotes our global vision of a life of dignity and opportunity for all.
In a separate message to mark the Day, Mr Kitack Lim, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), suggested that this day gives the international community a chance to reflect on how much everyone relies on seafarers for most of the things they take for granted in their everyday lives.
He stated: “Over one million seafarers operate the global fleet yet billions of people depend on them for the essentials and the luxuries of life. Shipping is essential to the world – and so are seafarers. So, this year, on 25 June, the Day of the Seafarer, we are once again asking people everywhere to show their appreciation for the seafarers that quietly, mostly unnoticed, keep the wheels of the world in motion.”
The theme of the Day of the Seafarer this year was ‘At Sea for All’, which Mr. Lim noted has a clear link with the 2016 World Maritime Day theme, Shipping: indispensable to the world. This emphasises that seafarers serve at sea not just for the shipping industry or for their own career purposes, but for everyone around the world.
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