Dhaka optimistic over win of its candidate for IMO Secretary General

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Thursday expressed optimism over Bangladesh’s victory in the post of Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

“He is a professional having a much decorated professional life. We expect good result,” he told reporters at State guesthouse Padma after briefing two dozens of diplomats of the IMO member countries.

IMO currently has 175 Member States and three Associate Members and there are candidates from Finland, China, Turkey, Dominica, Kenya and Panama for the same post.

“To seek support in favour of Bangladesh candidate and to inform about him (candidate), the briefing was arranged,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told reporters at a weekly briefing on Thursday.

Bangladesh has nominated Moin Uddin Ahmed as a candidate for the post who was present at the briefing, said the Spokesperson.

The election will take place at IMO Headquarters on July 18, according to the IMO.

Following the election in July 2023, the decision of the Council will be submitted to the 33rd session of the Assembly of IMO in late 2023.

The assembly will be invited to approve the appointment, and the elected Secretary-General will take office on January 1, 2024.  

Seven IMO Member States have each nominated a candidate for the post of Secretary-General of IMO.

The term of the incumbent Secretary-General, Kitack Lim of the Republic of Korea, expires on December 31, 2023.

The nominations received by the deadline set for receipt of nominations – March 31, 2023 – are listed below in alphabetical order by candidates’ names:  

Moin Uddin Ahmed (Bangladesh), Suat Hayri Aka (Türkiye), Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco (Panama), Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry (Dominica), Nancy Karigithu (Kenya), Minna Kivimäki (Finland) and Zhang Xiaojie (China).

The IMO Council at its 128th session (December 2022) approved the procedures for holding the election of the Secretary-General in July 2023 session of the Council.

Moin Uddin Ahmed was elected as the Director-General of International Maritime Satellite Organization (IMSO) in their 25th assembly session.

He was first elected as the Director General in November of 2014 and commenced his position in April 2015.

He was a Senior Technical Officer in IMO Maritime Safety Division, before his nomination as the Director general of IMSO in 2014.