IMO to Empower Port Women

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is supporting a training course aimed at female officials from maritime and port authorities entitled to encourage more women to join the maritime ranks in many aspect of the industry.

Twenty-seven women from 18 developing countries are taking part in the two-week "Women in Port Management" course, hosted in Le Havre, France (12 – 23 November).  The countries are Antigua & Barbuda, Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Cambodia, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Mauritius, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, the Sudan, Uganda and Viet Nam.

The course includes lectures on subjects such as port management, port security, marine environment, facilitation of maritime traffic, marketing, port logistics and other topics. The course provides participants with the necessary skills to improve the management and operational efficiency of their ports.

Visits to the Port of Le Havre and the Port of Rouen are also taking place, enabling the participants to experience for themselves the day-to-day operations of a port, with a view to applying this knowledge back in their respective countries.

The event is delivered through IMO's Women in Maritime Gender Programme, in partnership with the Port Institute for Education and Research (IPER) and the Le Havre Port Authority.

It comes as part of IMO's ongoing and increasing efforts to support the UN Sustainable Development Goal number five: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

This is the 14th training event of its kind. Demand for the course has continued to grow substantially over the past years.