IMO TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY IN MARITIME WITH A CALL FOR EQUALITY

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will celebrate International Women in Maritime Day 2025 on May 16 with a special event at its London headquarters, reaffirming its commitment to gender equality in the global maritime industry. This commemoration, officially established by resolution A.1170(32), seeks to foster a barrier-free working environment for women and promote their active and sustained participation at all levels of the industry.

Under the theme “An Ocean of Opportunity for Women,” the event will feature a half-day symposium that will run parallel to the 12th session of the Subcommittee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue. The meeting will be hybrid, with both face-to-face and online participation, and will be broadcast via IMO's YouTube channel, with the intention of reaching a broad and diverse international audience.

One of the highlights of the event will be the presentation of the IMO Gender Equality Award 2025, which this year will be awarded to Ms. Karin Orsel, nominated by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in recognition of her outstanding work in favor of equity within the maritime field.

The ceremony will conclude with an official reception, reinforcing the importance of women's leadership in the industry.
IMO has invited its Member States and observer organizations to join the celebration, organizing parallel activities in their countries and promoting the visibility of the date through social networks using the hashtag #WomenInMaritimeDay. With these actions, the organization seeks to continue building a more inclusive and equitable sector, aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 5 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.