Geographical Coverage

Regional Programmes

The ITCP, underpinned by the technical cooperation mission objectives, is developed in response to the technical assistance needs of Member States. Methodical planning ensures the relevance, transparency, effectiveness and efficiency of the technical assistance provided. Through implementation of the ITCP, IMO addresses the objectives of strengthening regional maritime competencies and promotion of maritime development across the globe. The regional programmes provide a geographical framework and reach for the delivery of technical assistance to the Member States.

The ITCP is divided into five regions for the purpose of programming technical assistance on the regional level. These regions are:

IMO Regional Presence Scheme

The overall objective of the IMO Regional Presence Scheme is to establish a modest presence in selected developing regions, thereby facilitating IMO's input into national and regional development policies and providing active field-level participation in the development, execution and coordination of the delivery of IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP).

Regional Coordinators and Technical Cooperation Officer

Today IMO has five Regional Coordinators based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire for west and central Africa (Francophone); Accra, Ghana for west and central Africa (Anglophone); Nairobi, Kenya for eastern and southern Africa; Manila, the Philippines for East Asia; and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago for the Caribbean. IMO also funds one Technical Cooperation Officer within the Pacific Community (SPC), based in Suva, Fiji. 

The outcomes of the work of the Regional Coordinators and Technical Cooperation Officer

The Regional Coordinators and Technical Cooperation Officer are required to support the following outcomes:

  • identification of maritime needs and priorities in conjunction with relevant countries, institutions or networks for subsequent review and consideration by IMO Headquarters for integration into the ITCP;

  • completion and updating of the Country Maritime Profiles (CMPs) by IMO Member States;

  • successful delivery of IMO technical assistance activities in the respective regions;

  • execution of major national/regional execution of projects in the maritime sector;

  • promotion of IMO's technical competence, experience and comparative advantage during the formulation of the United Nations Development Cooperation Framework in collaboration with the United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) and coordinated by the Resident Coordinators' offices;

  • promotion of the alignment and linkage between the ITCP and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and provision of quality support to Member States in their aspiration to achieve the 2030 Agenda in the respective regions;

  • identification of potential funding sources at national, bilateral and multilateral levels;

  • identification, establishment and maintenance of partnerships with governmental and non-governmental institutions, civil societies and the private sector in the respective regions that deal with IMO and other maritime matters;

  • implementation of ITCP activities as assigned by IMO Headquarters; and

  • representation of IMO at national and regional meetings as and when required by IMO Headquarters.