Council of International Maritime Organization promotes effectiveness and openness in IMO’s work

The Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) met for its 134th session in London on 7–11 July 2025. Finland has been a member of the Council during the current term 2024–2025.

The Council is the highest decision-making organ of the IMO between the Assemblies that convene every two years. The Council is composed of 40 members elected by the Assembly.

Council approved Revised Strategic Plan for 2024–2029

The Council reviewed IMO’s Financial Report and Audited Financial Statements for last year and approved the budget outline for 2026–2027. The budget for 2026 is about EUR 50 million. Most of the budget is covered by contributions from the Member States that are determined according to the tonnage of the merchant fleet sailing under the states’ flags. With respect to developing countries, their ability to pay is also taken into account. In 2025 Finland’s contribution to the IMO amounted to about EUR 80,000.

The Council also approved the IMO’s Revised Strategic Plan for 2024–2029 and the next cycle of the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS). The Strategic Plan provides the directions for the IMO’s work. It also contains the work programmes of all IMO organs for 2026–2027.

The purpose of the audits is to ensure that the Member States fulfil their international obligations and develop their maritime administration. In the updated IMSAS, the Member States will be audited every nine years. Audit under the IMSAS concerning Finland was conducted in autumn 2024. Finland has authorised the IMO Secretariat to release its audit report to the public. In the Finnish view, public consideration of the audit results is important in terms of the effective implementation of IMO’s regulation.

The Council decided on certain amendments to clarify its rules of procedure and approved the consolidated text of the IMO Convention in the six official languages of the UN (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). This is an important step in view of ensuring openness and the legal clarity of the IMO’s founding document. The IMO has also adopted guidelines to promote multilingualism.

In addition, the tasks of the Council include the approval of the final reports of various IMO committees and forwarding these to the Assembly for information. The Council also heard the annual reports for 2024 of the World Maritime University (WMU) and International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) operating under the IMO.

Besides the administrative matters, the Council discussed the Member States’ presentations concerning e.g. the relations between the IMO and other UN bodies and conventions. Together with Mexico and several other states, Finland proposed more effective coordination, especially in relation to the Agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. Finland supports systematic and effective global regulation for the highly international maritime sector.

What’s next?

Next, the IMO Council will meet in November 2025.

Finland seeks to renew its membership in the IMO Council for the 2026–2027 term. The Council for the next two-year term will be elected in December 2025.

Inquiries:

Ministry of Transport and Communications:

Eero Hokkanen, Ministerial Adviser, Alternate Permanent Representative of Finland to the IMO, tel. +358 50 476 0401, eero.hokkanen(at)gov.fi

Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom:

Anita Mäkinen, Chief Specialist, Alternate Permanent Representative of Finland to the IMO, tel. +358 40 162 4592, anita.makinen(at)traficom.fi