Call for all States to refrain from threats, intimidation or retaliatory measures directed at representatives and delegates participating in IMO negotiations


Statement by: 

  • Tim Owen KC, Matrix Chambers 

  • Green Hydrogen Organisation 
     

24 April 2026 

Ahead of the International Maritime Organization MEPC 84 meeting scheduled for 27 April – 1 May 2026 which will consider the IMO Net-Zero Framework, we express deep concern at multiple reports last year that state representatives and delegates participating in the work of the IMO were subjected to threats of retaliation, including sanctions, visa restrictions and other personal or economic consequences, in connection with their position on the Net-Zero Framework. 
 
Under international law, representatives of member States participating in the work of an international organization must be able to perform their functions independently. In the IMO context, the applicable legal framework is directed to securing the independent exercise of those functions, including complete freedom of speech and independence in the discharge of official duties. Relevant instruments and texts include the IMO Convention; General Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies of the United Nations; and IMO Code of Conduct. 

States are of course entitled to oppose proposals, to argue against them, and to vote against them. They are not entitled to seek to determine the outcome of multilateral negotiations by threatening or intimidating delegates, or by attaching personal consequences to the performance of their official role. 
 
Such conduct, if established, is objectionable not only because it places improper coercive pressure on particular States and negotiators, but because it undermines the integrity of the IMO as a multilateral institution. The IMO exists to provide a forum for cooperation, consultation and collective decision-making among governments. Its processes depend upon delegates being able to deliberate, speak and vote freely, without fear of retaliation. 
 
We therefore call on all States to refrain from threats, intimidation or retaliatory measures directed at representatives, negotiators and delegates participating in the IMO process. We also call on the IMO, its Chair and Secretariat, and the United Kingdom as host State, to take all appropriate steps to ensure that delegates are able to participate in the forthcoming meetings in London in conditions of security, independence and institutional respect. 
 
Whatever states’ differences on the substance of the Net-Zero Framework, the basic legal principle is clear: international negotiations must proceed by persuasion and lawful process, not by coercion directed at those entrusted to represent their governments. 
 

Contact: Joe Williams, CEO, Green Hydrogen Organisation, joe.williams@gh2.org