Attending IMO Meetings

So that the maritime community and the wider public can be kept informed of the work that IMO is doing to promote a safe, clean and secure maritime environment, the Organization is keen to ensure that its business is conducted in a spirit of openness and transparency. 

To this end, the Committees and their subsidiary bodies are now generally open to the news media, and media attendance is encouraged.

To help administer the process, we have established an accreditation system, based on similar systems operated by the United Nations and other agencies, which will allow automatic access to meetings of IMO technical bodies to accredited representatives of the media.

If you wish to apply for accreditation, please complete and return the form which can be downloaded here. We would also ask you to send a letter of assignment, on the official letterhead of a media organization, from the Publisher, Editor or Bureau Chief. It should specify the name and functional title of the journalist and the period for which accreditation at IMO is sought. Accreditation may be applied for either on an annual basis or for a specific meeting or meetings.

In addition to the completed form, print media representatives are also asked to submit two recent issues of the publication they represent. Independent TV production companies should additionally provide a letter from a broadcast organization which intends to air their work, and photographers are asked to submit original tear sheets or photos with credits.

We would also ask all applicants to submit a form of professional ID, such as a press card or a current business card.

The Outreach and Communications Office (OCO) of IMO must be satisfied that the organizations applying for accreditation represent bona fide media, and that accredited individuals are bona fide media professionals. Accreditation as media will not normally be accorded to the information outlets of non-governmental organizations, to newsletters or directories, or to associations, federations or freelance journalists seeking a media outlet for their stories. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis and the decisions of the Outreach and Communications Office of IMO will be final.

To operate this system smoothly, IMO also requires all media representatives attending meetings to agree to abide by a set of conditions, which are also available on this site. We reserve the right to withdraw accreditation should we consider that these conditions have been breached.

We would like to re-iterate IMO's keenness to operate in a context of openness and transparency, and to assure that the Outreach and Communications Office will be eager to provide media representatives with all possible assistance to that end. Please email media@imo.org if you require assistance.

To view the schedule for upcoming meetings and read summaries of past meetings, please click here.