Behind the Walls of the IMO: How Maritime Diplomacy Shapes the World — a student’s reflection by ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Manya Pasricha

Walking into the International Maritime Organization’s headquarters felt like stepping into the quiet engine room of global seaborne trade. The glass panels opening onto the Thames, the flags lining the entrance, and the distinctive blue of the Assembly Hall all created a sense of being at the centre of a system that rarely makes headlines yet shapes 90 percent of worldwide commerce. For students of diplomacy, the visit offered a rare glimpse into how a technical UN agency negotiates cooperation, manages political tensions, and steers the future of global shipping.

What stood out immediately was the scale of the organisation’s membership and the inclusivity of its structure. With 176 member states and even landlocked countries like Kyrgyzstan actively participating, the IMO’s reach extends far beyond coastlines. Its governance revealed how consensus and continuity underpin its work. The Assembly sits at the top, but real oversight comes from a forty-member Council elected every two years, while the Secretary General is chosen through an eight-year cycle that balances experience, rotation, and an evolving commitment to gender and regional diversity.

KCL Diplomacy Society members in the IMO general assembly hall

We were also told that unlike many UN bodies, the organisation relies entirely on member contributions calculated by the tonnage of national shipping registries. This creates a surprisingly resilient funding structure. The largest contributors are not global superpowers but states such as Liberia, Panama, and the Marshall Islands, whose flags dominate merchant fleets. The system has a 99 per centcollection rate, driven by a rule that countries must be up to date on payments to retain voting rights. As staff explained, even the United States contributes less than half a percent, which keeps the organisation insulated from geopolitical budget swings. For us students, this offered an important lesson: institutional design can redistribute influence in unexpected ways.

Inside the main chamber, the scale of IMO’s daily operations became clear. Hybrid meeting formats, adopted after the pandemic, allow remote participation for far-flung members, particularly small island states who once struggled to attend.

KCL Diplomacy Society members at one of the many committee rooms at the IMO

Live interpretation into all six UN languages and seating that accommodates up to fifteen hundred delegates demonstrate how logistical infrastructure sustains diplomacy. The Secretariat also supports working groups meeting in parallel rooms, where technical experts shape the reports that ultimately guide global standards. Observing this machinery helped us appreciate how deeply procedural order underpins international cooperation.

The conversations on environmental regulation were among the most compelling. As the body responsible for the MARPOL convention, the IMO is central to curbing pollution from ships and coordinating global commitments on emissions. Staff described the political realities behind the headline ambition of reaching net zero by 2050. Agreements often appear cautious because they prioritise broad buy-in, especially from developing states whose economies depend heavily on shipping. Yet even these incremental steps lay the groundwork for future tightening. Discussion of emerging risks such as the safe carriage of electric vehicles showed how the organisation must adapt to technological shifts while balancing safety, trade, and transition pressures.

The visit also highlighted the organisation’s efforts to address inequality within the maritime sector. With women constituting only three per cent of maritime professionals, the IMO has embedded a gender programme directly into its strategic work. Initiatives range from scholarships at the World Maritime University and the International Maritime Academy to the annual International Day for Women in Maritime. Digital campaigns continue to raise awareness about harassment-free workplaces and highlight opportunities for women seafarers. For many of us, these conversations connected diplomacy to lived experience by showing how multilateral institutions can influence norms as well as regulations.

Committee members of the society at the general assembly hall

The tour ended at the Maritime Knowledge Centre, a modern archive providing open digital access to research materials, legislative history, and global media monitoring. It felt symbolic that the organisation invests so heavily in transparency and education.

Our visit to the IMO ultimately revealed an institution quietly shaping the rules of global trade, environmental protection, and maritime safety. It operates through consensus, technical expertise, and a commitment to representing the interests of both shipping giants and microstates. As we left the building overlooking the river, the experience reinforced why diplomacy often succeeds not through grand speeches but through steady negotiation, shared technical standards, and an unwavering belief in cooperation.