/Reuters Agency
Russia failed to secure enough votes to rejoin the governing council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of the United Nations (UN), despite urging countries to support its candidacy for a seat it lost in 2023.
The result marks another setback for Russia, which also failed to get the necessary support in September to be elected to the governing council of the UN’s aviation body, in another diplomatic rebuke to Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The IMO, based in London, is responsible for regulating the safety and security of international shipping and preventing pollution, and is composed of 176 member states. Moscow has been a member of the IMO since 1958 and was consistently re-elected to the IMO Council before 2023.
Russia was among 48 countries seeking 40 seats for a two-year term on the council, which oversees the body’s work. It was the only candidate rejected among the 10 states with the greatest interest in international shipping services, which include the United States and China.
Russia’s Ministry of Transport called the vote unfair. “Since 2023, the political confrontation with Russia by several countries has caused the issue of Russia’s election to the IMO Council to become highly politicized,” it said in a statement.
Before Friday’s vote, Russia had told IMO members that it was an active participant in the body’s work, but complained that it was beginning to deviate from impartiality.
Ukraine has opposed Russia’s efforts in several UN bodies and did not stand for election to the IMO Council. It urged member states not to support Russia’s candidacy, stating that Moscow “undermines global maritime security and cannot claim a leadership role in global maritime governance,” referring to attacks on Ukrainian ports and maritime infrastructure.
