International Maritime Organization

ASSEMBLY
TWENTIETH SESSION

17-27 November 1997

 

Other decisions

 

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

 

17 November 1997

Agenda item 1

 

The Assembly adopted the agenda of the twentieth regular session as contained in document A.20/1/Rev.l.

 

ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS

 

17 November 1997

Agenda item 2

 

The Assembly elected the following officers to hold office until the twenty-first regular session:

 

 

 

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE

 

17 November 1997

Agenda item 4(a)

 

A Credentials Committee composed of representatives from Colombia, Côte d'lvoire, Hungary, Iceland and Kuwait was established.

 

ESTABLISHMENT OF OTHER COMMITTEES

 

17 November 1997

Agenda item 4(b)

 

The Assembly established two main committees - Committee 1 (Administrative, Financial and Legal Committee) and Committee 2 (Technical Committee) - and assigned certain items of the agenda to them for consideration.

 

APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 56

 

18, 20 and 21 November 1997
Agenda item 3

 

The Assembly decided to waive the application of Article 56 of the IMO Convention in respect of the following Members:

 

Dominican Republic

Peru

Gabon

Ukraine

Guatemala

United Republic of Tanzania

Guinea

Uruguay

Jamaica

Yugoslavia

Mauritania

 

STATUS OF THE CONVENTION
AND MEMBERSHIP OF THE ORGANIZATION

 

18 November 1997

Agenda item 6

 

The Assembly urged Member States to accept the 1993 amendments to the IMO Convention relating to the enlargement of the Council as a matter of urgency.

 

APPROVAL OF THE REPORT OF THE COUNCIL

 

18 November 1997

Agenda item 8

 

The Assembly approved the report on the work of the Organization since the nineteenth regular session of the Assembly, submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 23 of the IMO Convention, and expressed its appreciation to Mr. M.S. Tighilt (Algeria), outgoing Chairman of the Council, for his outstanding contribution to the work of the Organization.

 

ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF MEETING DOCUMENTS

 

20 November 1997

Agenda item 16

 

The Assembly endorsed the Council's recommendation that the pilot scheme be continued with appropriate improvement, including the use of the Internet, which should be introduced as soon as possible. For the time being, traditional circulation of documents in printed form should continue. At a later stage, and in the light of experience gained, the Secretary-General would review the situation in this regard and inform the Council as appropriate.

 

The Assembly recorded its appreciation and gratitude to the Governments of Australia, Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States for their financial and technical support to the project.

 

REPORT ON EVALUATION ACTIVITIES IN IMO

 

20 November 1997

Agenda item 18

 

The Assembly took note of the information provided by the Secretary-General, endorsed the decisions taken by the Council in the evaluation field and reiterated the importance of providing, when invited, feedback to the Secretariat on the results of technical co-operation projects executed by the Organization to enable it to assess the performance of such projects and report thereon. The Assembly expressed its appreciation to the Secretary-General for promoting monitoring, performance assessment and evaluation and endorsed the action taken by him for that purpose.

 

IMMUNITIES AND PRIVILEGES: PROGRESS REPORT

 

20 November 1997

Agenda item 19

 

The Assembly decided that the matter should remain on the agenda of the Council and the Assembly pending an amicable resolution of the issue or until otherwise recommended by the Assembly Working Group on Privileges and Immunities and requested the Secretary-General to continue to keep the matter under review and, should there be any new developments, to report them to the Assembly Working Group on Privileges and Immunities so that the views and comments of the Working Group could be submitted to the Council. In this connection it was suggested that the Secretary-General formally approach the new United Kingdom Government to review this matter.

 

The Assembly expressed its appreciation and thanks to Ambassador George Cooper of Liberia for the services he had rendered to the Organization, particularly for his distinguished contribution as Chairman of the Working Group on Privileges and Immunities.

 

RELATIONS WITH INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

 

20 November 1997

Agenda item 28

 

The Assembly approved the conclusion of an Agreement of Cooperation with the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund 1992 (1992 Fund).

 

ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL

 

21 November 1997

Agenda item 30

 

In accordance with Articles 16 and 1 7 of the IMO Convention as amended, the Assembly elected Members of the Council as follows:

 

Under Article 17(a): China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States

 

Under Article 17(b): Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands and Sweden

 

Under Article 17(c): Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Spain, Australia, Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines, Panama, Poland, Algeria, Cyprus, South Africa, Finland, Tunisia and Liberia

 

ELECTION OF MEMBERS TO THE IMO STAFF PENSION COMMITTEE

 

21 November 1997

Agenda item 31

 

In accordance with Article 6 of the Regulations of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, the Assembly elected Dr. E. Conte (Italy) as member and Mrs. A. Brown (Jamaica) as alternate member on the IMO Staff Pension Committee for the 1998-1999 biennium.

 

RELATIONS WITH NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

 

26 November 1997

Agenda item 29(a)

 

The Assembly approved the grant of consultative status to the International Parcel Tankers Association (IPTA).

 

INTERNATIONAL MARITIME PRIZE

 

26 November 1997

Agenda item 35

 

The Assembly decided that the idea of a permanent record of prizewinners in the form of a "roll of honour" should be investigated.

 

DETERMINATION OF THE PLACE AND DATE OF THE TWENTY-FIRST REGULAR SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY

 

26 November 1997

Agenda item 36

 

The Assembly decided that its twenty-first regular session be scheduled for the autumn of 1999 at IMO Headquarters, the precise date to be determined by the Council at a later stage.

 

APPROVAL OF THE REPORTS OF THE LEGAL COMMITTEE

 

26 November 1997

Agenda item 10

 

The Assembly approved the reports of the Legal Committee on its seventy-fourth to seventy-sixth sessions, subject to decisions taken in connection with the matters raised in these reports under the relevant items of the agenda, and invited the Legal Committee to review its Guidelines on Work Methods and Organization of Work