IMLI 35th Anniversary
Mr. Arsenio Dominguez Velasco, Secretary-General of IMO and Chairman of IMLI Governing Board, Professor Norman Martinez Gutiérrez, Director of IMLI, Professor David Attard, Former Director of IMLI, Mr. Christopher Cutajar, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign, European Affairs and Trade of Malta, and Fellows. I extend my heartfelt congratulations on this 35th anniversary of IMLI. At the same time, I express my deepest respect to Director Martinez who continues to educate excellent maritime professionals who are to contribute to the realization of an international maritime order based on the rule of law, and to IMO and the Government of Malta for their long years of dedicated support to IMLI.
As all of you are aware, there will be no prosperity for humanity without healthy oceans. 35 years have passed since the establishment of IMLI, and issues surrounding the oceans have become more challenging today. We, The Nippon Foundation had foreseen, 50 years ago, the ocean issues closely related to human survival, would be what it is today. We have, during the years educated more than 1600 maritime professionals from one hundred and fifty countries, who can deal with diverse, complicated ocean issues. Particularly, I believe that to use the international waters that cover 70 percent of the planet in a peaceful and an orderly way, there is an increasing importance of maritime human resources that contribute to the comprehensive support and compliance to the international law of the sea delivered as a common international language.
There were times when people would ask, ” What is IMLI?” But today, to study at IMLI is a prestige and an object of respect. There is no doubt that the presence of IMLI is becoming more and more important for the international community. This is because the graduates of IMLI are actively contributing to both their own countries and globally, extending the knowledge and awareness of the importance of the oceans to human survival to the intellectuals of the world. At the same time, IMLI is the answer to the foresight of the Government of Malta and of all who have recognized its significance. It is also my great honor that we have been a part of this outstanding human capacity building initiative for close to twenty years.
I believe that without IMLI there will be no solution to the global issues of our oceans. While I am very happy that IMLI has emerged as one of the leading world drivers in the ocean issues, I would like it to continue to contribute to maintaining the international law-based orderly and healthy oceans with the awareness that ‘the ocean is a common asset of mankind’. Thank you.