The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Presents the Outcomes of Arab Women in Maritime & Commits to Funding Further to Projects in 2023 alongside IMO.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Presents the Outcomes of Arab Women in Biofouling Management Workshop to IMO and member states and commits to funding further maritime environmental projects in 2023 alongside IMO.

On the 17th of May 2023, Saudi Arabia presented the outcomes of ‘Women in Biofouling Management Workshop’ to 175 member states as part of the celebrations for International Women in Maritime day on the 18th of May. 

The Arab Women in Biofouling Management Workshop which took place took place in Jeddah between the 10th to 11th of May was very successful and featured 18 countries from the MENA region with two female representatives attending from each nation. The event was the first ever of its kind dedicated to women in biofouling management. It discussed issues faced by women in the biofouling sector as well as issues that arise from biofouling both economically and environmentally.

The presentation on the outcomes of the workshop on the 17th of May was well received with keynote addresses made by Ms. Hayat Al Yabis, the Alternate Permanent Representative for Saudi Arabia to the IMO, and Dr. Jose Matherickal, Director of the Department of Projects and Partnerships to the IMO. This was followed by a presentation on the tangible outcomes of the workshop which focused on three specific recommendations for women in the future. A particular announcement of note was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s  commitment to funding GloNoise, GloFouling, and GloLitter in 2023 – 2024.

Hayat Al Yabis stated that “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia actively works to empower women in the maritime sector. We believe that encouraging more women to participate in biofouling management is critically important and we should peruse developing other female led groups that will enhance action and female empowerment in minimising the transfer of invasive aquatic species by shipping.”Saudi Arabia was also represented by Dr. Lina Euoni, Manager of Marine Planning and Monitoring, who spoke about her experiences as a facilitator and participant in the workshop.

Currently in 2023, only 2% of Maritime workers are women. Saudi Arabia continues to explore opportunities for future cooperation with other Member States in the sector to continue to advance the empowerment of women in maritime and ensuring greater representation in the future.