Outcomes of the 134th IMO Council Session

July 16, 2025

The IMO Council met for its 134th session from July 7-11, 2025 at IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom (with hybrid participation). The session was chaired by Mr. Victor Jimenez Fernandez (Spain), supported by the Vice-Chair, Ms. Amane Fethallah (Morocco).  Outcomes of the meeting are outlined below:

Revised Strategic Plan for 2024-2026

The Council approved the Revised Strategic Plan for the six-year period 2024 to 2029, including the mission statement, vision statement, overarching principles and strategic directions and updates to the 2026-2027 work program of IMO organs and the table of performance indicators.
The Council approved the draft Assembly resolution on the Application of the Strategic Plan of the Organization. This provides a uniform basis for the application of the Strategic Plan by all IMO organs, with the aim of strengthening planning and reporting procedures to enhance delivery and efficiency.
The draft Assembly resolutions will be submitted to the 34th session of the IMO Assembly (A 34) in November for consideration and adoption.

Additional topics covered were:

Budget outline for 2026-2027
Financial reports
Member State contributions
Report to the Assembly on the work of the Organization
Progress on upgrading GISIS
Enhancement of multilingualism
Consolidated IMO Convention approved in six languages
IMO Number Scheme and ship tonnage assessment
IMO Member State Audit Scheme
Rules of procedure for the Assembly
Status of IMO Conventions
Relations with the United Nations and the specialized agencies
Relations with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations
Non-governmental organizations
World Maritime Day and Parallel Event
IMO Awards

The council agreed that the 135th session of the Council (C 135) should take place Wednesday, November 19 to Friday, November 21, 2025 at IMO headquarters, immediately preceding the 34th session of the Assembly (A 34), which is scheduled Monday, November 24 to Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

The 136th session of the Council (C 136) will take place on Thursday, 4 December 2025, following the conclusion of A 34.