Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Science in Maritime Affairs
Specialization
Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration
Campus
Malmö, Sweden
Country
India
First Advisor
DeWitz, Jarrod.
Abstract
This dissertation is an endeavour to introduce the concept of ‘‘Fair Weight’’ defined as a goal-based voting weight that would empower Member States to ensure effective implementation of IMO instruments. The evolution of IMO as an international organization for maritime related matters shall be studied to understand the existing decision making process of IMO instruments. In addition, the dimensions of voting weights utilized for equality of representation in the decision making process of IMO shall be studied. Furthermore, the impact of the tacit acceptance procedure and open registry on these dimensions of voting weights shall be evaluated to understand the appropriate representation of Member States within the IMO decision making process. Decision making processes of international organizations, such as United Nations and its selected agencies, shall be reviewed in the light of their purpose and methodology used for Member States representation. The need for reforms in the IMO decision making process shall be identified by computing the voting power of Member States. ‘‘Fair Weight’’, based on various classifiers that define the IMO instrument, shall be recommended to be utilized for equality of representation in the decision making process of IMO. The concluding chapter discusses the increased representation due to ‘‘Fair Weight’’ of Member States in IMO decision making process leading to their empowerment in effectively implementing IMO instruments.