WMU participates in World Maritime Day Parallel Event
World Maritime University (WMU) says it participated in World Maritime Day Parallel Event. This year’s World Maritime Day Parallel Event was held in Istanbul, Turkey from 4-6 November carrying on the 2016 theme of Shipping: Indispensable to the World. The theme highlights the role that shipping plays, the contribution it makes and the economic impact it has on the global economy as well as its impact on our daily lives. Further, it focuses on the critical link between shipping and global society to raise awareness of the relevance of the role of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as the global regulatory body for international shipping.
Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, WMU President, spoke at the event on the topic of The Oceans: Employment opportunities and educational requirements stating, “The oceans cover about 70% of the earth’s surface, but we depend almost 100% on it for our existence, in terms of food supply, but more importantly in terms of the functioning of the atmospheric and meteorological cycles that sustain human life.” The President addressed four elements with respect to education and training, including jobs in the maritime industry and in the marine/ocean sectors, job creation and the entrepreneurial and sustainability paradigm, and WMU’s contribution. She emphasized WMU’s commitment to IMO’s technical cooperation strategy in support of IMO’s goals and mission and the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. She highlighted that WMU is uniquely positioned and ready to support the capacity building efforts of States and maritime and ocean industry stakeholders and to ensure that they benefit from an enhanced and life-long maritime and oceans education and training.
WMU faculty member, Professor Ilias Visvikis, made a presentation on The role of easy access to capital, opportunities and challenges in the maritime business. He addressed the situation in today’s market including developments and challenges in bank maritime financing, the future and challenges of maritime finance and opportunities ahead.
At the event, President Doumbia-Henry had the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister of Turkey, H.E. Binali Yıldırımwho is a 1991 WMU Alumnus and who is a member of the WMU Board of Governors. Dr. Yıldırım received an Honorary Doctorate and an Outstanding Alumnus award from WMU during the 2012 graduation ceremony. She also had the opportunity to meet with Mr Ahmet Arslan, Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications of the Republic of Turkey.
World Maritime Day was first held in 1978 to mark the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the IMO Convention that established the Organization. Since then, World Maritime Day celebrations have been held throughout the world to focus attention on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment and to emphasize a particular aspect of IMO's work. Since 2005, in addition to the official IMO celebrations held at IMO Headquarters in London, there has been a World Maritime Day Parallel Event hosted by a member State.