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Oil price surges have put international shipping in the spotlight in recent months. But what about the people behind the headlines? What happens to them when the news cycle moves on?

With up to 90 percent of all goods globally transported by sea, the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) works to help commercial shipping and international trade ride the waves of war, piracy and geopolitics.

Growing up near the Panama Canal, Arsenio Dominguez was always fascinated by mighty cargo ships sailing through on their way to distant shores. Now Secretary-General of the IMO, his role is to defend seafarers and give shipping the recognition it deserves.

“Whenever you affect shipping, everybody else gets affected, even if you're not part of the conflict. This is not good for anyone. This is not good for the global population, for the global economy, for politics. We need to protect shipping more.”

In this episode, Arsenio Dominguez reflects on years of back-to-back challenges for international shipping, on efforts to decarbonize, and shares why the power of positive thinking and the encouragement of his mother have always been his guiding lights.

Photo: ©IMO

(WIMA) Europe launched in Batumi, strengthening women’s leadership, networking and professional development across Europe’s maritime sector, backed by IMO, Denmark and UNDP Georgia.

A maritime career can’t begin without time at sea—but for many aspiring seafarers, securing onboard training remains the biggest obstacle. A growing international initiative is working to bridge that gap by connecting cadets from developing countries with real-world placements aboard commercial vessels. With a strong focus on gender equality, industry partnerships, and expanding opportunities for small island, least developed, and landlocked nations, the effort aims to unlock talent, strengthen the global maritime workforce, and create new pathways to skilled, sustainable employment

Across the world’s seas, seafarers carry the lifeblood of global trade, and with it the hidden burdens of distance, danger and conflict. This year's honors those who keep food, medicine, energy and essential goods moving, often far from home and in harm’s way. Under the theme "Carrying world trade. Carrying the risks", it calls on Governments and industry to recognize seafarers' courage, skill and sacrifice, to uphold their rights and protect them from peril and geopolitical storms. For those ashore, it is a reminder not to be sea-blind to the hands that keep the world afloat.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has launched a two-year initiative focusing on the 2026-2027 : ‘From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence’. At the launch, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez highlighted the need for a practical approach that impacts seafarers and port workers globally. The campaign aims to address gaps in national enforcement of maritime regulations, focusing on nine pillars, including capacity development and tailored support for Small Island Developing States and Least Developing Countries. Member States are encouraged to host related activities and share their results on social media using #WorldMaritimeDay.

“When this genocide happened, I was right here,” Chinar, 18, said, standing before the Grave of Mothers in Solagh, Sinjar. “They separated the old women from the rest of us. I was 10 years old.” Nine years later, the site where nearly 90 Yazidi women were martyred by Daesh is forever memorialized with the Yazidi Genocide Memorial. Built at the request of survivors by Nadia’s Initiative, a nonprofit organization founded by Nobel ɫ��TV Prize winner , and the in Iraq, the memorial site pays homage to the resilience and courage of the Yazidi community, who endured systematic violence and persecution during the Daesh occupation.

With 140 million women and girls on the move, accounting for half of the world's migrants, the International Organization for Migration recognizes that gender inequalities manifest differently depending on where women find themselves in the world. A new competition called “Women on the Wall,” saw nine artists from seven different countries paying tribute to a remarkable migrant woman, known and celebrated for her achievements in technology and innovation, through visual art in a public space.

The  is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risks to the environment, human health, and safety. The -implemented project on Safe and Environmentally Sound in Bangladesh has helped to make this accession of the Convention possible.

welcomes the new treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction - known as 'BBNJ' – reinforcing efforts in line with the .

There is ample evidence that investing in women is the most effective way to lift communities, companies, and even countries. Nevertheless, there is still a significant gender imbalance in maritime. The celebrates women in the industry and is intended to promote the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the maritime sector, while raising the profile of women in maritime. Through its , makes the concerted effort to help the male-dominated maritime sector move towards gender equality. Watch a .

An amendment to the London Protocol removed sewage sludge from the list of permissible wastes, which may be considered for dumping at sea – the amendment was adopted at the in October.

welcomed the signing of an initiative to establish a humanitarian maritime corridor to allow ships to export critical cargoes of grain and foodstuffs from Ukraine.

Short video poem by Chad Jordan, on the role played by seafarers in our daily lives and the need to recognize the unique contribution made by seafarers from all over the world to international seaborne trade, the world economy and civil society as a whole.

The recognizes the contributions of a maritime industry chief and presents its highest bravery accolade to two maritime pilots from Brazil and an off-duty seafarer from the Philippines.

The heads of five UN organizations have called for maritime and air transport workers to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, given their key role in supporting global trade and mobility.