IMO participated in the WISTA International Annual General Meeting and Conference held in Barcelona, Spain (20-24 October), under the theme "Powering the Future of Shipping & Trade: Global Energy in Challenging Times".
Gender equality was a central focus throughout the conference, reflecting IMO's ongoing cooperation with WISTA International to promote diversity and leadership opportunities across the maritime industry.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Domínguez took part in two key sessions: a roundtable on Decarbonization: Impacts on Shipping, Cruise, and Energy Industries, and a closing fireside chat with the CEO of The American Club, Ms. Dorothea Ioanno. He emphasized the importance of collaboration among governments, shipowners and innovators to advance the maritime sector's transition toward low-and zero-carbon fuels. The conversation highlighted the importance of seafarer well-being and addressing seafarer criminalization, the challenges of recruitment and gender balance, and the role of the IMO in promoting gender equality.
IMO Deputy Director for Planning and Programming, Ms. Louise Proctor, in a session on "IMO-WISTA International partnership update", stressed that data-driven initiatives are key to designing effective policies that promote inclusivity and leadership opportunities. "This partnership is about action, not just awareness," she said. "Together, we are building an ocean of opportunity for women in maritime."
The second IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey provides the first global dataset on women's participation in both public and private maritime sectors. The survey, published in May 2025, shows that women currently account for just under 19% of the total workforce, representing 176,820 individuals in 2024, up from 151,979 in 2021. Women make up 19% of the workforce in national maritime authorities and 16% in the private sector workforce (excluding seafarers). At sea, however, women remain vastly underrepresented, comprising only 1% of seafarers of the respondees. Meanwhile, 5% of students pursuing seafaring degrees are women, highlighting that more women are entering maritime education than are transitioning into seafaring careers.
The next IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey will be conducted in 2027. Looking ahead to this next edition, the goal remains clear: to raise the bar for gender equality, transparency and opportunity across the global maritime community. Ms. Proctor encouraged widespread participation in the forthcoming survey across the public and private sectors to provide a comparable dataset that helps us identify gaps, measure progress, and design initiatives that respond to real needs, not assumptions.
IMO has reinforced its commitment to gender representation through a series of recent initiatives, including the Global Strategy for the IMO Women in Maritime Associations 2024-2029 (approved by the TC Committee in June 2025), the Women's Leadership and Empowerment (WLE) training course in collaboration with the World Maritime University (WMU) and WISTA International and ongoing programs such as the SMART-C Women programme. Gender matters are a strategic priority in all IMO projects and technical cooperation work.
