IMO Assembly Adopts New Capacity Development Strategy
The 34th session of the Assembly of the IMO concluded in London with the adoption of a new strategy to strengthen Member State compliance with IMO rules, by expanding capacity-development support.
The Capacity Development Strategy was among 22 resolutions adopted by the Assembly, including decisions on the Organization’s budget, financial statements, work program and strategic plan, among others. The Assembly also elected a new Council to serve for the 2026–2027 biennium.
The IMO Capacity Development Strategy establishes a streamlined framework to support all Member States - particularly Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) - in implementing IMO regulations through strengthened national maritime policies and strategies that boost economic growth while protecting the marine environment and promoting sustainable shipping.
Approved earlier this year by the Technical Cooperation Committee (TC 75), the Strategy aims to:
• Improve effective implementation of IMO instruments
• Expand the suite of capacity-development offerings
• Enhance international and regional cooperation and partnerships
• Improve effective management, coordination and delivery of capacity development and technical cooperation
• Secure and mobilize sustainable funding and resourcing.
The Assembly adopted the revised Strategic Plan for the six-year period 2024 to 2029. There are eight strategic directions:
SD 1: Ensure implementation of IMO instruments supported by capacity development
SD 2: Integrate new, emerging and advancing technologies in the regulatory framework
SD 3: Respond to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping
SD 4: Continue to engage in ocean governance
SD 5: Enhance global facilitation, supply chain resilience and security of international trade
SD 6: Address the human element
SD 7: Ensure the regulatory effectiveness of international shipping
SD 8: Ensure organizational effectiveness
The Assembly adopted the Organization's budget and work program for 2026 and 2027. The budget for the 2026-2027 biennium is set at £87,427,000, comprising an appropriation of £43,367,000 for 2026 and an appropriation of £44,060,000 for 2027. This budget will be financed by contributions of Member States amounting to £76,835,000, comprising of £38,081,000 for 2026 and £38,754,000 for 2027.
Concluding the meeting, which ran from November 24 to December 3, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said: “Everything placed before this Assembly has been achieved, adopted, or approved. You have turned ideas into action and transformed collective ambition into concrete outcomes. Your decisions this week have strengthened the governance and strategic direction of IMO.”
