IMO to Push Nations for Legislation on Treaties

An important strategic objective for International Maritime Organization (IMO)  is improve the way its treaties and conventions are implemented, at the national level.

Domestic implementing legislation is required but audits carried out by IMO reveal that, in many countries, it either doesn’t exist or is incomplete.

To address this need, IMO offers an intensive 5-day workshop for lawyers and legislative drafters. It provides them with the tools they need to understand IMO treaties and how they are developed and adopted. The most recent such workshop was held at IMO Headquarters (1-5 October).

Participants from 16 countries (Argentina, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Eritrea, Malawi, Maldives, Montenegro, Nigeria, Palau, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Viet Nam and two participants from the Pacific Community (SPC)) learned the general principles of drafting national legislation to implement IMO conventions, with special emphasis on the amendment process, in particular the tacit acceptance procedure.

Guidance was provided on drafting techniques, and the workshop also offered an opportunity for networking and sharing experiences, particularly with regard to the challenges countries may face in implementing IMO's technical regulations into national law.