(NEWS) IMO Visiting Lecturers Contribute to Law of the Sea and Protection of the Marine Environment Course

April

2021

IMO Visiting Lecturers Contribute to Law of the Sea and Protection of the Marine Environment Course

On 21 April, students in the Maritime Law & Policy specialization benefited from two Visiting Lecturers from the International Maritime Organization: Ms Gyorgyi Gurban, Head of Projects Implementation in the Department of Projects and Partnerships, and Mr Lars Christian Espenes, Technical Officer in the Marine Environment Division. Their contributions complemented the core instruction by resident faculty for the Law of the Sea and Protection of the Marine Environment course.

Ms. Gurban explained IMO´s new Department of Partnership and Projects (DPP) that serves as the gateway for developing partnership opportunities with a wide range of external partners, including IMO member States, UN agencies, financial institutions, NGOs, IGOs and the private sector. The Department began operating on 1 March 2020 to increase the existing portfolio of donor-supported long-term projects supporting the technical cooperation objectives of IMO. The establishment of DPP reflects the strong and continuing commitment of IMO to helping its member States achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and implement the Organization's regulatory framework. She also conveyed IMO´s current efforts to support developing countries, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, to transition to a low-carbon future.

Mr. Espenes' presentation focused on the technical work of IMO regarding environmental issues including the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR). He presented international shipping’s contribution to global CO2 emissions and the timetable of IMO action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships as well as other key regulations and treaties including MARPOL Annex VI, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, and the adoption of IMO GHG Strategy (2018). How to decarbonize shipping by 2050 was discussed as well as the wide range of promising GHG reduction measures and the associated challenges.

The Malmö MSc in Maritime Affairs is a 14-month programme with seven specializations: Maritime Education & Training; Maritime Energy Management; Maritime Law & Policy; Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration; Ocean Sustainability, Governance and Management; Port Management, and Shipping Management & Logistics. Foundation studies are taught in the first term and cover the introductory knowledge that is fundamental to all activities in the maritime field. Three successive terms focus on specialization studies and a dissertation. WMU has more than 150 Visiting Lecturers annually from around the world who contribute their expertise to enrich the education of WMU students.

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