Resolution A. 841(20)

RECOGNITION OF THE WORLD MARITIME UNIVERSITY DEGREE

(Adopted on 26 November 1997)

THE ASSEMBLY,

ACKNOWLEDGING the important contribution made by the World Maritime University (WMU) towards achieving the Organization's objectives of safer shipping and cleaner oceans through education and training of maritime personnel, as noted in Assembly resolution A.785(19) of 23 November 1995,

APPRECIATING the continuing need, particularly of developing countries, for well-educated and trained maritime personnel,

REALIZING that the social and professional reintegration of WMU graduates in their countries of origin is a vital factor in achieving the Organization's objectives,

BEARING IN mind that WMU graduates often have difficulty obtaining recognition of their WMU qualification by authorities and organizations in their countries of origin,

BELIEVING THAT full and unlimited recognition of the WMU degree in the Member States will significantly enhance the benefits of WMU training programmes, in particular for developing countries,

1.   URGES Member States to take effective measures to ensure that WMU degrees obtained by their nationals are:

(a)  fully recognized at the national level;

(b) fully recognized by all national educational institutions and all national bodies dealing with maritime safety matters and with the protection of the marine environment as equivalent to relevant national qualifications for the purposes of entry into and promotion within professions;

2.   STRONGLY RECOMMENDS that Governments of Member States, in particular of those developing countries which send students for training at the WMU, continue to support the University to the best of their ability and to make the greatest possible use of its training resources.