Today is World Maritime Day.
26th September every year is set aside for this celebration by International Maritime Organisation(IMO).
This year’s theme is “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community”, and this provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the gender equality in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as highlight the important – yet under-utilized contribution of women without Maritime Sector.
Word Maritime Day was first held in 1978 to mark the 20th anniversary of the IMO Convention’s entry into a force and to focus attention on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and marine environment as well as to emphasize a particular aspect of the IMO’s work.
World Maritime Day parallel event, 2019 was held in Cartagena, Columbia 15 – 17 September, 2019. The parallel event is hosted in a different country each year. It provides a platform that brings together important actors and stakeholders in the Maritime Community to discuss matters of mutual concern.
The Secretary General, International Maritime Organisation(IMO), Kitach Lim in his message believed that empowering women is not just an idea or concept, but of necessity that requires strong positive action to address deep-seated structural, institutional and cultural barriers.
He remarked that Shipping has always been a male- dominated industry and the same applies to many of the associated jobs and professions in the maritime community, however, adding that the position is changing.
Lim further stated that Gender equality has been recognised as one of the key platforms on which people can build a sustainable future, stressing that it is one of the 17 goals that underpin the UN;s Sustainable Development Agenda, which countries call over the world have pledged to implement.
The IMO Secretary General pointed out that diverse teams are more productive than male dominated teams and gender devise teams are more productive than male dominated teams and gender device and return workplaces promote better job satisfaction, employee engagement and retention.
According to him, “Having more women in the work place is beneficial for organisations as a whole for men and women”.
