The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will meet next week to elect Members of the IMO Council and to approve the Organization’s work programme and budget.
The Assembly, which meets every two years, elects the forty Members of the IMO Council, which is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the IMO. There are 176 member countries of the IMO.
A new 40-Member IMO Council for the 2026-2027 biennium will be elected, including:
- Category (a): 10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services
- Category (b): 10 States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade
- Category (c): 20 States not elected under (a) or (b) above, which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation, to ensure representation of all major geographic areas of the world.
Australia is currently a member of the IMO Council under Category (b) and has put forward its candidature for the same category for the forthcoming two year period. There are, however, 11 candidate countries in this 10-country slot, so one country must miss out.
The election will take place on Friday 28 November, with an in-person, secret ballot.
On the agenda
The Assembly is expected to adopt the revised Strategic Plan for the six-year period 2024 to 2029 and the Organization’s budget and work programme for 2026 and 2027.
The Assembly will adopt several resolutions on key aspects of the Organization’s work, including those covering:
- IMO Capacity Development Strategy
- Procedures for port State control, 2025
- Survey Guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), 2025
- 2025 Non-exhaustive list of obligations under instruments relevant to the IMO Instruments Implementation Code (III Code)
- Framework and procedures for the IMO Member State Audit Scheme
- Code on Alerts and Indicators, 2025
- Criteria for the provision of mobile satellite communication systems in the global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS)
- Charges for distress, urgency and safety communications through recognized mobile satellite services in the GMDSS
- Consolidated Text of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization
- Progressive use of Arabic as a working language of the Organization
- Criteria and procedures for live streaming to the public of IMO Assembly plenary meetings
- Rules of Procedure of the Assembly
- Relations with non-governmental organizations
