Video message from IMO Secretary-General on empowering women in the maritime community

Notes to editors

About World Maritime Day 2019

​​The World Maritime Day theme for the year is "Empowering Women in the Maritime Community".
This provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and to highlight the important - yet under-utilized - contribution of women within the maritime sector.

The theme gives IMO the opportunity to work with various maritime stakeholders towards achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG 5, to foster an environment in which women are identified and selected for career development opportunities in maritime administrations, ports and maritime training institutes and to encourage more conversation for gender equality in the maritime space.

Empowering women fuels thriving economies across the world, spurs growth and development, and benefits everyone working in the global maritime community in the drive towards safe, secure, clean and sustainable shipping.