From 15-19 November, students from the IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) participated in the sixth annual seminar focused on National Maritime Transport Policy (NMTP). The virtual seminar was facilitated by the World Maritime University (WMU) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and highlighted the importance of policy formulation and development to guide planning, decision making, and legislation in the maritime sector.
The seminar provided the opportunity for students to take part in a practical group exercise during which they further explored the NMTP concept and formulated the key aspects of a maritime transport policy for an imaginary State. The seminar is being held for its fifth consecutive year, thanks to the continuing collaboration between IMO and its two global maritime training institutions – WMU and IMLI. This year’s instructors on behalf of WMU were Professors Raphael Baumler, George Theocharidis, and Associate Professor Henning Jessen.
The NMTP concept is being promoted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a good governance practice to guide planning, decision making, and legislation in the maritime sector and as a key driver for a country’s sustainable development.
At the request of IMO, WMU made modifications to the existing Training Package that contains an Instructor’s Manual with nine modules for the 3-Day Workshop and five sessions for the One-Day Seminar, as well as a Manual for Pedagogics, to accommodate the online delivery by electronic means. The topics covered included Defining and Designing Transport Maritime Policy, Strategies, and Objectives, the Development Process, clarifying the role of International Maritime Law and its integration in policymaking, Economic Maritime Setting and delineating national priorities, Environmental Rationale and mainstreaming it into the policy process, Safety and Security factors and recognizing the value of Seafarers in the maritime policy.
IMO and WMU have cooperated on the delivery of NMTP Training Packages to several countries since 2016, including Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Chile, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Seychelles, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. It has also been delivered to students at WMU.
WMU’s delivery of NMTP training reflects its capacity-building mission and a commitment to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, in particular, Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development and Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.
