Marking the World Maritime Day, the head of the United Nations maritime agency today highlighted contributions the shipping industry can make to the achievement of the global development goals.<\/p>\n
“Shipping and ports can play a significant role<\/a>\u00a0in helping to create conditions for increased employment, prosperity and stability through promoting maritime trade. The port and maritime sectors can be wealth creators, both on land and at sea,\u201d said Kitack Lim, the Secretary-General of International Maritime Organization (IMO), in his message for the Day, observed annually on 28 September.<\/p>\n To highlight this potential, the theme of the\u00a0Day<\/a>\u00a0for this year is \u2018Connecting Ships, Ports and People.\u2019 \u201cIt will enable us to shine a spotlight on the existing cooperation between ports and ships to maintain and enhance a safe, secure and efficient maritime transportation system,\u201d Mr. Lim said.<\/p>\n The benefits of a free and efficient flow of goods and trade extend far beyond the ships and ports themselves, and an effective interface between them can improve the lives of people everywhere, especially in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs<\/a>), adopted by ±¬ÁÏÍø Member States in 2015.<\/p>\n But, to be sustainable, human activities have to be balanced with the oceans\u2019 capacity to remain healthy and diverse in the long term. The so-called \u2018blue economy\u2019 is a large and growing industrial sector; and, as it grows, it must remain safe and secure and not threaten the environment, he noted.<\/p>\n Ultimately, more efficient shipping, working in partnership with a port sector supported by governments, will be a major driver towards global stability and sustainable development for the good of all people, he concluded.<\/p>\n