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Cook Islands running for IMO Executive Council

Wednesday 2 November 2011 

The Cook Islands has decided to run for elections to the Executive Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which takes place at the end of this month.  Based in London, IMO is the UN specialised agency responsible for the safety of life at sea, maritime security and the protection of the marine environment through prevention of sea pollution caused by ships.  As a member of the Organization, the Cook Islands felt that it was important to bring the voice of small island developing states (SIDS) from the Pacific to the decision making table of the Executive Council.  No Pacific country has ever served on the Executive Council and the Cook Islands have high hopes that it will be the voice of the SIDS will be heard at the forthcoming elections. 


The Cook Islands’ vision is one of achieving genuine sustainable development that will improve the quality of life not only for the people of the Cook Islands but also for all the people of our planet.  According to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Dr. James Gosselin, “We have a responsibility for the good stewardship of the ocean in which we live. That ocean is our past, present and future and the focal point in the lives of all Pacific Island peoples.” 

Made up of 169 Members and three associate members, the Cook Islands have been campaigning hard to secure the necessary support of the members of the Organization.  The Cook Islands' economy faces many of the development impediments common to other SIDS in the Pacific region:  relatively limited natural resources, extreme remoteness from major trade routes and industrial centres and a dependence on maritime transport, as regulated by the IMO, for essential fuel supplies and goods. The Cook Islands pays the highest prices for fuel in the Pacific because it is at the end of the fuel supply chain and the impact of agreements developed at the IMO is a critical factor to the uninterrupted supply of what would be considered normal distribution in the developed world.

Since joining the Organization, the Cook Islands has highlighted the need to take into account the special shipping needs of SIDS  and Least Developed Countries (LDC’s) and the need to assess the impact of developing agreements or proposed amendments to existing instruments on such countries prior to adoption.  The Cook Islands, as a Small Island Developing State, believes its contributions to the Council debates thus far show that its presence on the Council will strengthen the representation and contribution of SIDS and LDCs within the IMO, thus enhancing the role and oversight capacity of the Council.”