The Fijian delegation at the 30th IMO General Assembly, led by Assistant Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Vijay Nath, urged delegates to remain responsible in the face of the threats caused by climate change.

Fiji re-asserted its call for member states of the International Maritime Organisation recently to implement effective measures that address the global threat of climate change.

The Fijian delegation at the 30th IMO General Assembly, led by Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Vijay Nath, urged delegates to remain responsible in the face of the threats caused by climate change.

Other members in the delegation included Deputy Secretary of Policy and Planning Lui Naisara and Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji chief executive officer John Tunidau.

A strong Spanish delegation at the assembly also pushed for discussions on ways of reducing plastic discharge into the oceans, a MSAF statement said.

“Member states recognised that while shipping was not totally responsible for the discharge of plastics into our oceans it felt that as a custodian, the shipping industry could play a vital role to help reduce and police the invasion of plastics into our oceans,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, Mr Tunidau was one of the two chosen to oversee the election of 40 member states to the IMO council, which is held every two years.

The MSAF had the task of ensuring the council members were elected in ‘a transparent and accountable manner.’

“The Council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the IMO,” said the statement.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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