It often said that Malta cannot help being a maritime nation and that geography, nature and history have conspired for it to be so. As an island nation sitting astride the major arteries of shipping, the sea is our lifeline to the world. The development of a maritime industry that is run economically, safely, securely and in an environmentally friendly manner is vital to us.

It is therefore only natural that we closely follow and deeply involve ourselves in the work of the Inter-national Maritime Organisation that has as its objectives the safety and security of our seas and the prevention of pollution from ships. In our roles as a coastal state, flag state and port state, the government reiterates our continuing support for the work of IMO and pledges its continuing commitment towards the realisation of its goals that are also our objectives.

IMO has a very important and delicate role. It serves an industry that is global by nature and must therefore work for global standards and avoid regionalisation. At the same time, IMO cannot ignore the different needs of the regions of the world and thus must avoid the adoption of a “one size fits all” policy.

It is also important that the 166 members and two associate members of this organisation retain their individual identity and their own voice at all levels and yet work collectively, taking into account the common good without unnecessarily sacrificing individual needs. After all, is this not the essence of democracy?

The technical assistance programme so close to all our hearts that includes the important maritime training initiatives is undoubtedly vital to ensure a worldwide upgrading of the maritime administrations and a universal implementation of the global standards set by the various conventions aimed at safer and more secure seas and cleaner oceans.

The IMO must urgently draw up a long term plan to ensure the financial sustainability of these programmes. Within our means, Malta’s share will not fail to be forthcoming. We proudly host both the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea and the IMO International Maritime Law Institute, two very important programmes that the government will continue unfailingly to support.

Even a cursory look at the agenda of the IMO assembly which I attended last week, and the relative papers, reveal a wide variety of topics and the sheer volume of work undertaken by this organisation. I have no doubt that in the meetings to follow in the coming biennium, the Maltese delegations will give their input on the vast array of topics put forward.

States must substantially increase their efforts to address at source the problem of smuggling and trafficking in human beings that costs the lives of so many people, including innocent children, and poses a heavy burden on states, a burden that they might not be able to carry. This is an issue that must be addressed by the different United Nations agencies. The IMO will no doubt provide its expertise, and member states must, according to their ability, contribute towards finding a solution to eliminate this problem. We have to act proactively.

Piracy and armed robbery against ships at sea is a scourge that is raising its head in alarming proportions, even in the 21st century. The government agrees with the IMO secretary-general that there is a need for the organisation to review the current situation from its own perspective, particularly in certain areas, and for it to provide the leadership expected by the maritime community.

Malta urges the assembly to authorise the secretary-general to bring the issue to the attention of the UN secretary-general for him to take appropriate action, including referring the matter to the Security Council. Malta fully supports the adoption of a relative assembly resolution that proposes concrete action to combat this scourge.

The negative effects on development, peace and security and human rights posed by trans-national crime, and the increasing vulnerability of states to such crime, is indeed of grave concern. There is a great need to work collectively, always however, within the framework of international law.

While the work of the IMO and other specialised agencies such as the International Labour Organisation have made life at sea safer, and have bettered the conditions of work of seafarers, the number of young people taking up a career at sea is falling.

There are a number of reasons for this but, certain actions, where seafarers have been put under severe pressure and detained for lengthy periods far exceeding normal requirements, certainly act to give the maritime industry an unfavourable image.

The choice of the theme International Shipping – Carrier of World Trade for this year’s World Maritime Day could not have been made at a more opportune time.

The work of the organisation and the international shipping community to rightfully raise the profile of the maritime industry is, to say the least, commendable and must be pursued on a continuous basis.

It is important that the public at large is made aware of the vital contribution that shipping makes to their daily lives and well-being and the message, highlighting the work that is being done to make the industry even safer, more secure and cleaner, must be relayed in a simple yet effective manner.

Many administrations have taken concrete action in this respect, to encourage young people to make a career at sea. IMO should seek to gather and collate all this information and, using modern communications media such as the internet, make it available to the public in a structured and effective manner. This would also serve as a guide for other administrations to help them further improve their own schemes. The sharing of information is yet another form of technical cooperation.

The organisation must be sensitive to the needs of the shipping industry. To refer to one particular initiative, Malta fully supports the work carried out in IMO to develop international facilitation standards. Facilitation measures reduce the idle time of vessels in ports and reduce the time masters and seafarers spend on following public authorities’ administrative procedures, allowing them more time to concentrate on the safe management and navigation of their ships.

Finally, Malta’s re-election to the IMO executive council last Friday is a very prestigious result for our country and is a further confirmation that Malta, which has one of the largest shipping registers in the world, is respected and enjoys the trust of the international maritime community in this sector.