The 34th session of the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) met in London from 24 November to 3 December 2025, and the decisions made there could change international shipping for years to come. The gathering gathered 176 Member States, along with associate members and observers — all present to chart the organization’s next steps.
During these ten days the Assembly passed a wave of far-reaching resolutions. They include adoption of a revised strategic plan, a new capacity-development strategy, approval of the 2026–2027 budget and work programme, election of a new governing council, and more. Here is what matters most.
What the Assembly Set Out to Do
At the opening of A 34, the IMO leadership announced three main goals: adopt the Strategic Plan 2024–2029, approve the biennial budget and work programme for 2026–2027, and elect the new IMO Council.
Besides that, delegates were ready to tackle safety, environmental protections, regulatory updates, and modernization in light of evolving global challenges — from climate change to digitalization and multilingual inclusion.
By the end, the Assembly adopted 22 resolutions covering a wide array of issues.
The Eight Strategic Directions
IMO now works under a revised Strategic Plan covering 2024 through 2029. The Assembly highlighted eight strategic directions that will guide the next years:
- Implementation of IMO instruments, supported by capacity development.
- Integration of new, emerging and advancing technologies within the regulatory framework.
- Responding to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping.
- Continued engagement in ocean governance.
- Enhancing global facilitation, supply-chain resilience and security of international trade.
- Addressing the human element (crew welfare, seafarers’ working conditions, human factors).
- Ensuring regulatory effectiveness of international shipping.
- Ensuring organizational effectiveness of IMO itself.
These directions reflect where IMO sees pressing needs: green transition, technological change, better governance, human welfare, and organizational strength.
Budget and Work Programme for 2026–2027
The Assembly approved a results-based budget and a work programme for 2026–2027. The total budget amounts to £87,427,000 for the two-year period. The plan expects Member State contributions of £76,835,000 overall.
That budget covers all core activities of IMO — from regulatory work to capacity building, audits, environmental initiatives, technical cooperation, and updating systems. The work programme complements the budget by outlining what IMO will do in the period ahead.
A New IMO Council — Who Leads Until 2027
On 28 November 2025 the Assembly elected a new 40-member Council to serve for the 2026–2027 biennium. The Council provides executive oversight under the Assembly.
The Council is split among three categories:
- Category A: 10 States with the largest interest in providing shipping services.
- Category B: 10 States with large interest in international seaborne trade.
- Category C: 20 States representing other maritime or geographic interests.
After election the new Council met on 3 December for its 136th session and chose its leadership.
Some countries secured continued influence; for example, India secured a seat under Category B — reportedly with the highest number of votes among that group.
At the same time, some traditional participants lost seats — according to one report, Kenya lost its spot, leaving East and Horn of Africa without representation in the Council for the first time in decades.
This reshuffling could shape the governance balance of the organization in the years ahead.
A New Logo and Visual Identity
One of the more symbolic outcomes from A 34: the Assembly approved a refreshed logo and visual identity for IMO. The new logo aims to reflect IMO’s readiness to meet 21st-century challenges, signaling commitment to safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally sound shipping.
This change suggests IMO wants to project a modern, dynamic image — not just as a regulatory body, but as a forward-looking leader in maritime governance and sustainability.
Inclusion of Arabic as Working Language
A notable decision from A 34: the Assembly agreed to progressively introduce Arabic as a working language of the Organization.
This choice echoes ongoing efforts to broaden multilingualism and to make IMO’s work more inclusive. The change will help many of its Member States — especially from Arabic-speaking regions — to engage more fully in proceedings and documentation. The Assembly also approved a consolidated text of the IMO Convention in UN languages, including Arabic.
In addition, the Assembly accepted proposals to improve access to IMO deliberations: for example by approving criteria for live-streaming Assembly plenary meetings to the public.
Capacity Development, Decarbonization and Digitalization
Perhaps the most impactful shift: the Assembly adopted a brand-new IMO Capacity Development Strategy. This strategy aims to support all Member States — especially small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs) — in meeting and implementing IMO rules.
The strategy will expand capacity-building offerings, improve coordination and delivery of technical cooperation, mobilize sustainable funding, and strengthen international and regional cooperation.
The adoption of this strategy links directly to the first strategic direction in the new plan (implementation of instruments supported by capacity development). It also lays a foundation for reforms across safety, environmental performance, and regulation enforcement worldwide.
On decarbonization: The strategic plan highlights climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping as one of the eight core directions.
That means IMO commits to regulatory work and policies aimed at cutting emissions — a necessity if shipping is to align with global climate goals. Still, some observers warn that despite these commitments, delays in the organization’s own “net-zero framework” could create a gap in regulatory clarity — risking fragmentation of decarbonization efforts across different regions and sectors.
Digitalization also features prominently. The revised strategic plan calls for integrating emerging technologies into the regulatory framework.
For instance, the Council has already been working to upgrade the organization’s internal systems — including its data platform, the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS), to handle improved data collection, sharing, and compliance monitoring.
This push toward digitalization pairs with the capacity-development strategy: as IMO strengthens technical support to all Member States, especially those with fewer resources, it also helps them adopt digital tools to manage maritime data, safety, environmental reports, compliance and audits.
What It All Means
The decisions from the 34th session of the Assembly set IMO on a clear path. The combination of a modernized strategic plan, a renewed focus on capacity building, and tangible steps toward decarbonization, digitalization and inclusion suggest that IMO wants to steer international shipping toward a more sustainable, equitable and efficient future.
At the same time, the refreshed logo and expanded language policy show IMO wants to modernize not only its regulations, but also how it presents itself — and whom it reaches.
Of course, the success of all this depends on follow-through. Member states must commit resources, adapt their national policies, and cooperate. The newly elected Council will face challenges: enforcing regulations, guiding the decarbonization transition, making digital systems effective, and ensuring that smaller or less developed states receive the capacity support they need.
For anyone working in international shipping — regulators, shipowners, ports, maritime professionals — A 34 sends a message: change is underway, and now is the time to prepare.
