Innovation Forum: 28-29 September 2022

A warm word of thanks to all the participants on 28 and 29 September 2022, both physical and virtual, who helped make the Innovation Forum 2022 a resounding success!

The recordings for Day 1 and Day 2 can be accessed here.

Speakers presentations and videos

Mr. Kitack Lim, IMO Secretary-General (Opening address)

H.E. Mr. Wegger Strømmen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Norway to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Mr. Sveinung Oftedal, Specialist Director, Department of Marine Management and Pollution Control, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway

Mr. Harry Conway, Vice-Chair, IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC)

Mr. Vikram Rai, Director General of Shipping, India

Mr. Plinio Nastari, President, Datagro Ltd., Brazil

Ms. Rose Mwebaza, Director, UN Climate Technology Centre and Network

Mr. Madhu Nair, Chief Executive Officer, Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

Mr. Anton Rhodes, Project Manager, Department of Partnerships and Projects, IMO

Mr. Guy Platten, Secretary-General, International Chamber of Shipping

Dr. Jean Ver P. Pia, Maritime Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines, London

Mr. Giampiero Nacci, Director, Green Economy and Climate Action, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Mr. Dennis Fritsch, Associate Programme Lead Nature, Economy Division, United Nations Environment Programme

Ms. Louise Proctor, Head, Programme Management, Technical Cooperation Division, IMO

Ms. Gyorgyi Gurban, Head, Projects Implementation, Department of Partnerships and Projects, IMO

Mr. Roel Hoenders, Head, Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency, Marine Environment Division, IMO

Mr. Tan Hoe Soon, Assistant Chief Executive, Corporate and Strategy, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)

Ms. Anne Katrine Bjerregaard, ESG Strategy Lead, Maersk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping

Mr. Hans-Christian Wintervoll, Head of the Service Center for Green Fleet Renewal, Green Shipping Programme

The Meeting Summary can be consulted here: IMO-UNEP-Norway Innovation Forum 2022.

About the Innovation Forum 2022

The IMO-UNEP-Norway Innovation Forum is a two-day hybrid (live in person at the IMO Headquarters in London and virtual) global platform aimed at championing innovation to accelerate the transition of the marine sector towards a zero- and low-emission future. It will be held on 28 and 29 September 2022 and will focus on addressing the specific needs of developing countries, especially Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).  The Forum is linked to the IMO World Maritime Day theme 2022 "New Technologies for Greener Shipping", with a special emphasis on inclusive innovation for decarbonization of maritime sector.

The event is supported from the Government of Norway, the IMO Secretariat and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in order to promote innovation by providing a global platform to exchange best practices and fill necessary gaps by gathering ideas and latest developments from all competent international policy makers. 

You can download the final programme here IMO-UNEP-Norway Innovation Forum Final Programme.pdf

Key Goals 

The aim of the Innovation Forum is to:

- Showcase the demonstration of green technologies and their deployment globally in a manner that facilitates blue economic growth in developing regions;

- Ensure a people-centered transition to a zero-carbon shipping industry by 2050 as well as the safety and health of the maritime workforce;

- Hold discussions and generate a debate around new ways of financing sustainable maritime transport;

- Bring industry stakeholders, academia and global research centres together to offer inclusive solutions for maritime decarbonization for trials along specific shipping routes in the Asia-Pacific region.

Focus Areas:

1. Addressing research, technology and infrastructure needs of developing countries, especially LDCs and SIDS as well as research and partnerships needs for developing innovative GHG technologies and financial needs for their piloting, distribution/entering of the market particularly in developing countries;

2. The need to support the green transition of the maritime sector into a sustainable future, while leaving no one behind

3. New ways of financing sustainable maritime transport

Moderator

• Mr. Craig Eason, Founder, Fathom World

Background

After the adoption of the Initial IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships on 13 April 2018, the Government of Norway, the IMO Secretariat and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) discussed ways and means for supporting the Strategy to reduce emissions from shipping through advocating and promoting technological innovation, and a clear gap was identified in terms of providing a global platform to discuss these ideas, leading to the establishment of the IMO-UNEP-Norway Zero- and Low-Emission Innovation Forum (the Innovation Forum), which acted as a global platform to promote innovation for accelerating the transition of the marine sector towards a zero- and low-emission future. The first Innovation Forum, that took place from 27 to 29 September 2021 and had a successful outcome, with over 1,300 participants attending from all over the world.

In light of the above, the Government of Norway, IMO and UNEP have decided to establish the second Innovation Forum, which will be linked to the IMO World Maritime Day theme 2022 "New Technologies for Greener Shipping", reflecting the need to support a green transition of the maritime sector into a sustainable future, while leaving no one behind.

Recordings of the Innovation Forum 2022 can be viewed here:

YouTube: Day 1 and Day 2.
UN Web TV: forthcoming

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)