From Policy to Practice: Advancing Gender Equality for Maritime Excellence

  • May 5, 2026
  • Posted by: Natalie O. Sandiford, CAMS, LEC, LLM, MSc
  • Categories: Maritime & Blue Economy, Policy to Practice
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Advancing Gender Equality: A New Era for Maritime Excellence

For International Day for Women in Maritime 2026, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted the theme “From Policy to Practice: Advancing Gender Equality for Maritime Excellence,” signalling a clear focus on strengthening the systems, structures, and institutional capabilities required to advance gender equality across the global maritime sector. This 2026 theme positions gender equality as a critical area where policy commitments must be advanced at the national level in order to achieve excellence in the maritime sector. By framing the conversation around advancement, the IMO has created a space for Member States and maritime institutions to focus on the foundational work required to move gender policy statements from aspiration to action, in alignment with the broader 2026–2027 World Maritime Theme, From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence, declared in January 2026 by the IMO Secretary General. The Caribbean maritime sector must now strengthen the frameworks, structures, and gender‑responsive systems that advance gender equality, underpinned by sector‑specific international instruments and stronger national direction to sustain maritime excellence.

Gender Mapping Exercise

Altus Regional is conducting a regional Gender Equality Mapping Exercise to understand how Caribbean maritime institutions are advancing gender equality. The mapping exercise is designed to assess whether institutions possess the policies and systems required to support gender‑equality as part of their operational effectiveness. Your participation will help build the evidence base needed to enhance gender‑responsive governance across the Caribbean maritime sector.

Complete the Gender Mapping Survey

Gender Equality as a Pillar of Maritime Excellence

In alignment with the strategic focus of the IMO for 2026-27, gender equality is now positioned as a structural pillar of maritime excellence. Research supports that when women and men participate equitably across technical, operational, and leadership roles, institutions benefit from broader expertise, more robust problem‑solving, and stronger organisational performance. Gender equality strengthens the ability of organizations to meet emerging demands, such as digitalization, climate resilience, and evolving international standards by ensuring that the full spectrum of a nation’s talent is mobilized. Advancing gender equality therefore plays a strategic role in driving excellence in the maritime sector. 

The International Framework: IMO, ILO, and Global Gender Equality Commitments

Across the region, many States have endorsed high‑level United Nations (UN), International Labour Organization (ILO), and International Maritime Organization (IMO) gender‑equality conventions, instruments, and resolutions that articulate clear commitments to non‑discrimination, equal opportunity, and safe workplaces. These include:

The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) 1979, often described as the international bill of rights for women, required states to eliminate discrimination against women in all areas of public and private life, including employment, leadership, and participation in traditionally male‑dominated sectors. It calls for proactive measures to remove structural barriers, ensure equal access to opportunities, and create institutional environments where women can participate and lead on equal terms. While CEDAW is sector‑agnostic, it establishes the national policy foundations that shape gender‑responsive governance across all industries, including maritime.

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006  establishes minimum standards for working and living conditions for seafarers, including provisions related to non‑discrimination, occupational safety, and welfare. These instruments create a robust foundation for gender equality in the maritime sector, but they also impose obligations that require institutional systems to fulfill. The IMO’s current emphasis on advancing gender equality for maritime excellence reflects a recognition that empowerment cannot be achieved through policy statements alone; it requires operational systems, governance structures, and institutional capability to move policy commitments into practice.

The ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (C190) set out the global standard for preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender‑based violence. For maritime institutions, C190 provides a clear expectation that employers must adopt policies, systems, and procedures that ensure safe working environments for all workers. This includes risk assessments, reporting mechanisms, training, and accountability structures.  The adoption of Recommendation R206 Concerning the Elimination of Harassment in the World of Work has provided a global framework for addressing violence and harassment. These ILO instruments reinforce that safety and dignity at work are integral to operational excellence, and that institutions cannot achieve high performance without addressing the conditions that undermine worker wellbeing.

The IMO’s commitment to advancing gender equality has evolved over several decades, beginning with the establishment of the Women in Maritime Programme 1988, which sought to increase women’s access to maritime training and decision‑making. This early foundation was strengthened by the Busan Declaration, adopted at the IMO Regional Conference on the Development of a Global Strategy for Women Seafarers in 2013, marking the first formal IMO‑linked declaration calling for improved working conditions, stronger institutional support, and the development of gender‑responsive policies across the sector. This momentum culminated in IMO Assembly Resolution A.1147(31), Preserving the Legacy of the World Maritime Theme for 2019 and Achieving a Barrier‑Free Working Environment for Women in the Maritime Sector. Resolution A.1147(31) calls on Member States to strengthen institutional frameworks, promote women’s leadership, and integrate gender equality into maritime governance. It also emphasises the need for national‑level action to support gender‑responsive policies and systems within maritime institutions. More recently, the IMO Council’s establishment of the Gender Equality Award in 2022 has institutionalized recognition of leadership in this area.
 

Taken together, these instruments demonstrate a clear and sustained international commitment to advancing gender‑equality as an essential component of maritime excellence. However, the IMO has not yet developed a binding international convention on gender policy. 

While international instruments codify clear global standards, their impact depends on national adoption, domestication, and enforcement. This distinction is critical:

  • States sign and ratify international conventions.
  • States domesticate international commitments and obligations into national law.
  • Institutional action only becomes mandatory when national legal and regulatory frameworks so stipulate.
States that ratify international instruments are responsible for translating such gender-quality commitments into national legislation, regulatory guidance, and sector‑specific requirements. Where translation into national legislation or sector‑specific guidance does not occur, institutions lack the mandate and direction needed to act consistently.

The Global Maritime Sector Context

The IMO–WISTA Women in Maritime Survey 2024 provides the most comprehensive and up‑to‑date global dataset on women’s participation in the maritime sector, revealing persistent structural inequalities across both public and private institutions. Key findings include:

⊗ Of the 211,750 active seafarers reported by surveyed companies, women account for just around 1% (2,117), with most female seafarers concentrated in cruise and passenger shipping rather than in cargo, offshore, or technical operations.

⊗ In the wider maritime industry, women represent only 16 per cent of the private‑sector workforce and 19 per cent of the workforce in national maritime administrations.

⊗ Representation declines sharply in technical, operational, and mid‑management roles, where women hold only 21 per cent of core maritime positions and 17 per cent of management posts.

⊗ 157 organisations reported having no gender‑equality policy in recruitment or promotion, underscoring the absence of institutional frameworks needed to support equitable workforce development.

The survey identifies several systemic barriers that continue to limit women’s access to and progression within maritime careers. These include gender stereotyping, workplace safety concerns, limited family‑friendly policies, and the ongoing gender pay gap. The report also highlights gaps in flexible working arrangements, insufficient pathways for young women entering STEM‑related maritime fields, and uneven representation of women in international maritime governance, with 24 Member States reporting no female delegates at IMO meetings.

These findings illustrate that the barriers facing women in the maritime sector are rooted in systems that have not yet evolved to support equitable participation. For the Caribbean, this global evidence reinforces the central point that meaningful progress depends on the advancement of gender equality. In a sector where women remain significantly under‑represented, leadership at the national level becomes essential for shaping consistent institutional practices across the sector.

Regional Leadership: WiMAC, WISTA, and the Caribbean’s Gender Equality Movement

Regional and international organisations have played a critical role in advancing gender equality in the Caribbean maritime sector. Women International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) has championed women’s leadership in shipping, logistics, and maritime trade. Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC), established under the auspices of the IMO’s Women in Maritime Programme (above), has become a leading voice for women’s professional development, leadership, and representation. Through regional collaboration, WiMAC has helped to build networks of women across maritime administrations, port authorities, shipping companies, and maritime education and training institutions.
 
Across the Caribbean, WIMAC national chapters deliver substantive professional development programming that strengthens institutional capacity and expands opportunities for women in the maritime sector. Recent initiatives curated by the WIMAC Belize Chapter include its Women in Maritime Symposium, and youth maritime summer camp.
 
The WIMAC Barbados Chapter also spearheads initiatives for professional growth, such as the Webinar on Enhancing the Future of Maritime Safety featuring the World Maritime University, UK Hydrographic Office, and the Barbados Maritime Ship Registry; and the “Mobilizing Networks for Gender Equality Workshop” featuring participation from the Caribbean Tourism Organization, UN Women, and University of the West Indies, among other leading organizations.
 
Both WIMAC and WISTA have highlighted the need for institutional reforms, safe workplaces, and gender‑responsive policies. The embracement of these organizations reflect the region’s shift from policy adoption to practical steps to increase the presence and performance of women in the maritime sector. Their leadership illustrates the importance of representation, but it also reinforces the need for States and maritime institutions to advance the frameworks that allow this progress to be embedded into institutional practice. 

Gender Equality Advancement Gaps in the Caribbean Maritime Sector

While many Caribbean States have endorsed broad gender equality commitments through national gender policies and ratification of international instruments such as CEDAW 1979, the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention (C190), these frameworks rarely translate into sector‑specific direction for maritime institutions. As a result, maritime institutions across the region frequently operate without the national guidance, expectations, or standards needed to shape consistent gender‑responsive practice.

This absence of maritime‑specific direction is compounded by uneven institutional readiness across the region. Preliminary findings from the Caribbean Maritime Sector Gender Equality Mapping Exercise show that many maritime institutions have not yet developed the foundational systems that support gender equality. Internal reporting or grievance mechanisms are inconsistent or unclear, training on bias and harassment is limited, and welfare and behavioural safeguards are uneven. Few institutions have internal structures dedicated to gender equality, such as gender focal points, committees, or governance frameworks, leaving them without the internal architecture required to support gender‑responsive practice. 

Finally, preliminary findings indicate that many maritime institutions do not collect gender‑disaggregated data. This early pattern points to a broader evidence gap in the sector, underscoring the importance of the Gender Equality Mapping Exercise, which will provide a consolidated evidence base of institutional readiness to advance gender equality in the maritime sector. Taken together, the preliminary findings of the Caribbean Maritime Sector Gender Equality Mapping Exercise confirm that the Caribbean maritime sector is still in the advancement stage.

These limitations are not unique to the Caribbean; they mirror global patterns identified in the IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey 2024. However, they take on added significance in a region where women remain significantly under‑represented across seafaring, technical roles, port operations, and maritime administration leadership. In a sector with such low representation, national leadership becomes essential for setting expectations, providing guidance, and ensuring consistency.

Overall, this is the landscape within which the 2026 International Day for Women in Maritime theme “From Policy to Practice: Advancing Gender Equality for Maritime Excellence” must be understood- not as a call to implement what does not yet exist, but as an invitation to advance the foundations that will make implementation possible.

Advancing Gender Equality Caribbean Maritime Sector Perspective

The IMO’s stance on advancing gender equality provides an opportunity for the Caribbean to reframe gender equality as a core component of maritime excellence. Strengthening gender‑responsive systems delivers clear, practical benefits across the Caribbean maritime sector while also supporting States in meeting their higher‑level obligations under international instruments. At the national level, more inclusive and data‑driven systems help governments demonstrate progress toward the expectations set out in IMO resolutions, ILO conventions, and broader UN commitments. When national recruitment pipelines, training programmes, and workforce systems are designed to draw from the widest possible talent pool, ports, shipping companies, and marine services providers gain more reliable staffing for terminal operations, pilotage, cargo handling, towage, bunkering, ship repair, and surveying. These improvements translate directly into smoother operations, fewer disruptions, and stronger commercial performance across the sector.
 
Gender‑responsive systems also strengthen the institutions responsible for maritime oversight, safety, and regulatory delivery. Vessel Traffic Services and maritime meteorology centres improve situational awareness and operational decision‑making when diverse teams are supported by structured training, communication, and reporting processes. Maritime education and training (MET) institutions benefit from more inclusive cadet recruitment, safer training environments, and stronger alignment with global standards for seafarer preparation. Maritime governance bodies, such as maritime administrations, port state control units, and coastal state authorities gain more credible regulatory oversight and stronger institutional legitimacy when gender considerations are integrated into inspections, licensing, and policy development. These advancements help States demonstrate that their national maritime systems are evolving in line with international expectations.
 
As the sector undergoes rapid digital transformation, the benefits become even more significant. Cybersecurity, e‑navigation, port community systems, digital ship registries, and emerging data‑governance requirements all demand multidisciplinary teams with strong analytical, operational, and communication skills. Gender‑responsive systems help States and institutions build the diverse technical teams needed to manage cyber risks, operate digital platforms, and support data‑driven decision‑making. Maritime security agencies, including coast guards and marine police units, benefit from more resilient operational teams and improved incident‑response capability when their systems support equitable participation. Several Caribbean jurisdictions have already begun taking steps in this direction, for example, integrating gender considerations into national training curricula.
 
As the maritime sector becomes more globally interconnected, the need for diverse perspectives, inclusive leadership, and equitable workforce structures becomes even more critical. Strengthening gender‑responsive frameworks enhances national and institutional capability, supports workforce stability, and improves the sector’s ability to meet emerging technical and regulatory demands. Maritime institutions that invest in these frameworks are better positioned to attract talent, retain skilled workers, and meet international standards. They are also better equipped to support States in fulfilling obligations related to safety, security, digital transformation, cybersecurity, environmental protection, and data governance, i.e. areas where multidisciplinary teams and diverse technical expertise are increasingly essential.

The Future of Maritime Excellence Depends on the Advancement Gender Equality

The Caribbean maritime sector stands at a critical juncture. The global direction is clear: advancement of gender equality commitments is the new frontier of maritime excellence. The future of maritime excellence will depend on how effectively institutions advance gender equality. This is the central message of the 2026 Women in Maritime Day theme and the direction in which the global maritime community is moving. For the Caribbean, this moment presents an opportunity to strengthen national and institutional systems, close implementation gaps, and build a more resilient and competitive sector.
 
The path forward requires a deliberate shift from commitment to capability. Advancing gender equality for maritime excellence requires moving from broad aspirations to the systems and structures that enable practical action. Strengthening frameworks, institutional arrangements, and gender‑responsive systems is a strategic investment in the sector’s long‑term excellence, resilience, and competitiveness. By establishing the governance foundations that enable sustained action, the Caribbean maritime sector can transform gender‑equality ambitions into measurable institutional progress and position itself as a regional leader in modern maritime governance. This is the work that will define the next era of maritime excellence.

A Practical Pathway Forward: Altus Regional’s Implementation Course

For institutions seeking to build capability, Altus Regional has developed a comprehensive training programme, Implementing Gender Equality Policies in the Maritime Sector. This four‑module course provides the tools, frameworks, and practical guidance required to assess current systems, design governance structures, embed obligations into institutional frameworks, strengthen monitoring and capability systems, and institute continuous review mechanisms. The course culminates in a full implementation simulation based on the One Caribbean Port case, enabling participants to apply the entire framework in a realistic institutional scenario. By equipping institutions to build and implement gender‑equality policies, this programme strengthens the region’s capacity to meet the expectations associated with maritime excellence.

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