National Maritime Transport Policy Workshop Delivered in Belize

From 23-25 May, the World Maritime University (WMU) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) partnered on delivering an Introduction to the National Maritime Transport Policy (NMTP) workshop in Belize. The NMTP concept is being promoted by the 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.

The workshop brought together some 30 strategy officials from Belize representing various government Ministries and related agencies, along with other stakeholders from the maritime sector. The aim of the event, held in Belize City, was dual. First, to assist the established Maritime Technical Committee in its mandate to formulate a national maritime policy. Second, to advance the understanding of key issues in maritime transport policy. The benefits of good governance practice were stressed as a way of guiding planning, decision making and legislation in the maritime sector - a key driver for a country’s sustainable development. 

WMU was represented by Professor George Theocharidis and Professor Henning Jessen. IMO was represented by Mr Jonathan Pace, Chief of the Subdivision for Programme Management and Coordination Technical Cooperation Division. The workshop was delivered by IMO and WMU, within the framework of the IMO Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) and with generous funding from the Government of Malaysia.

IMO and WMU have cooperated on the delivery of NMTP Training Packages to several countries since 2016, including Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Seychelles, St Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, St Lucia, Suriname, Thailand and Timor-Leste. WMU’s delivery of the programme 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. 

Find out more about the National Maritime Transport Policy concept, what it is and how it works, by watching IMO’s NMTP video, here.