Empowering Member States of the International Maritime Organization to Implement Rules and Regulations Case Study: Affiliated Educational Bodies

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the supreme authority of making and passing international maritime regulations and standards. However, the member states have always had problems in enforcing these regulations. Employing a descriptive-inductive method, this paper aimed to examine the IMO’s role in empowering the member states to enforce regulations through its affiliated educational bodies. Considering the role of education in empowering the states facing such problems, IMO created a number of support guidelines to assist the member states in enforcing maritime laws and regulations. Still, IMO’s most important educational foundations are realized in its affiliated educational bodies, namely World Maritime University (WMU), International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), and International Maritime Safety, Security, and Environment Academy (IMSSEA). Holding short-term courses and offering Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programs in maritime science, these institutions aim to empower the member states, especially the developing ones. The outcome of these efforts was the nurturing of experts who serve in high positions in their countries to pursue the ultimate goals of IMO.