The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has elected Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco of the Republic of Panama as its next secretary-general.
The term of the incumbent secretary-general, Kitack Lim of the Republic of Korea, expires on December 31, 2023. The newly elected secretary-general will take office on January 1st, 2024, and serve a four-year term.
In April this year, seven IMO member states nominated a candidate for the post of secretary-general of the IMO.
The six nominated candidates apart from Dominguez were Moin Uddin Ahmed from Bangladesh, Suat Hayri Aka from Turkey, Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry from Dominica, Nancy Karigithu from Kenya, Minna Kivimäki from Finland, and Zhang Xiaojie from China.
The IMO Council at its 128th session in December 2022 approved the procedures for holding the election of the secretary-general at the July 2023 session of the Council.
Now that the election of Dominguez is complete, the decision of the council will be submitted to the 33rd session of the assembly of IMO in late 2023 for approval.
Dominguez is currently the director of the Marine Environment Division of the IMO, having served previously as the director of the Administrative Division and as the chief of staff.
Before joining IMO in July 2017, he worked for the Panama Maritime Authority starting in 1998 as head of the Regional Technical and Documentation Office for Europe and North Africa, and as the alternate representative and technical adviser of Panama to IMO from 2004 to 2014.
“The position of IMO secretary-general is not an easy one, and there are undoubtedly challenges ahead as the industry strives to meet the 2030, 2040, and 2050 targets, but it will be a pleasure to tackle these challenges head-on with Mr Dominguez for a better and safer future for our industry and its people,” Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, said.
“These are pivotal times for the shipping industry. We believe Mr Dominquez will provide a steady hand at the tiller as shipping navigates its way towards a cleaner, greener and safer future,” the international shipping association InterManager stated.
Noting the importance of this Dominguez’s appointment for his country, president of Panama Laurentino Cortizo Cohen said: “It is a historic day that fills us with great pride.” Dominguez is the first Latin American to hold the top role at the UN body.
The election comes less than two weeks after the IMO agreed on a revised strategy to decarbonise the global shipping industry during the 80th Marine Environment Protection Committee gathering.
Countries have agreed on so-called indicative checkpoints of reducing emissions by at least 20%, and striving for 30%, by 2030 compared to 2008 levels, and at least 70%, striving for 80%, by 2040, reaching net-zero “by or around, i.e., close to 2050,” qualified by whether “national circumstances allow”.
