Report says IMO at risk due to weak governance

In Germany, a new study by Transparency International, an anti-corruption organization, said the International Maritime Organisation is at risk of unresolved conflicts of interest due to shortcomings in its governance. The report said that private shipping-industry concerns could have undue influence over the policymaking process at the IMO.

“The IMO was assigned the task of limiting and reducing emissions from shipping under the Kyoto Protocol back in 1997,” said Brice Böhmer, coordinator of the Climate Governance Integrity Program at Transparency International. “However, it took until 2016 for the IMO to even agree on a roadmap towards an initial strategy, due in 2018, and a revised strategy, due only in 2023. A well-functioning organisation’s governance structure should enable decisive action, but the governance flaws identified by our research suggests that this is not happening at the IMO because policy-making could be overly controlled by private companies.”