Organizations around
the globe marked the annual Women in Maritime Day, on May 18, highlighting the
advancements women are making in the field while calling for continued actions
for training and to support equality.
The International Maritime Organization marked the day with its 36th annual
program while also urging the industry to invest in the future by ensuring
gender equality.
To highlight the
continuing inequalities, the IMO cited data saying that currently only 29
percent of the overall maritime workforce and 20 percent of the workforce of
national maritime authorities are women. They
reported that despite all the efforts globally, women make up less than two
percent of seafarers worldwide.
“We must – and will- do more,” said Arsenio
Dominguez, the Secretary-General speaking at the IMO event to mark the day. “By investing in women’s education and
professional development, we empower women, drive innovation, and foster
sustainability within the maritime industry, to benefit of all.”
“Today is an opportunity to honor the
remarkable achievements of women in the maritime sector while advocating for
gender equality and inclusivity in this vital industry,” said the Australian
Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Executive Director Policy and Regulation
Leanne Loan. “Elevating female role models, embracing diverse perspectives, and
fostering collaboration, is vital to a safer, more inclusive maritime sector.”
The IMO's Women in
Maritime program, initiated in 1988, takes a three-pronged approach of
“training-visibility-recognition” for women…“Change is both necessary and
coming…,” said Dominguez. “With increase in trade and the transition towards a
greener and more sustainable sector, the opportunities to enhance diversity and
inclusion are in front of us.”
Domingues concluded by
calling on all the participants in the program, and around the globe, to look
at how they can drive understanding, awareness, and change within their
organizations and help achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and in
particular Goal 5 to achieve gender
equality and empower all women and girls.