IMO’s technical cooperation activities have received a boost of US$1.0 million. IMO says the funds, donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will be allocated to a range of activities, including training and supporting women in the maritime sector; as well as combating piracy and other illicit activities that threaten the safety of navigation.
The funds include:
- US$250,000 to support both the Djibouti Code of Conduct and the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct 2017 that together help signatory States to counter piracy and other illicit activities that threaten safety of navigation in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean area.
- US$50,000 to combat piracy in West and Central Africa.
- US$250,000 to support the activities of the IMO Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme.
- US$50,000 to support and strengthen the role of women working in the maritime sector in the Arab world.
- US$300,000 for the Endowment Fund of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Sweden.
- US$100,000 to the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta to support some scholarships.
The cheque for US$1.0 million was presented to IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom.