The theme of the International Day for Women in Maritime this year was “mobilizing networks for gender equality”.  

Kitack Lim, IMO Secretary-General, delivered a message of congratulation at the Seoul event, in which he encouraged women to pursue advancement to the top levels of the maritime sector.  

Mr Lim pledged IMO’s continued support to the organization’s eight Women in Maritime Associations (WIMAs) which work to challenge some of the institutional barriers and the cultural stigma facing women who enter the maritime industry. There are WIMAs in Africa (three Associations), Arab States, Asia-Pacific (two Associations), the Caribbean, and Latin America. 

An award for Gender Equality Contributor in the Maritime Sector was presented to Captain Kyoungok Jeon by the Republic of Korea’s Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Cho Seung-Hwan,for her contributions to the industry and for facilitating global trade as a seafarer. 

IMO’s William Azuh, Deputy Director in the Technical Cooperation Division delivered a presentation on Collective Efforts for Gender Equality in Maritime Affairs and Future Strategy; and Jose Matheickal, chief of IMO’s Department of Partnerships and Projects, spoke about the Republic of Korea/IMO SMART-C Project (SMART stands for Sustainable Maritime Transport Cooperation). Also representing IMO were Heike Deggim Director, Maritime Safety Division; and Youngso Kim, Head, Partnerships, Department of Partnerships and Projects. 

Other participants at the Seoul event included Korean female cadets; the President of WIMA Korea, Merle Jimenez-San Pedro; and public and private sector maritime officials, along with academics and journalists.  

See more here about the International Day for Women in Maritime 2023. It was marked with a global conference on 18 May at IMO Headquarters which highlighted the importance of collaboration and networking in achieving gender equality in the maritime sector. (Read more about the conference here.)