GreenVoyage2050 annual donor meeting highlights continued progress in supporting developing countries
GreenVoyage2050 convened its annual donor coordination meeting this week in the IMO headquarters in London, bringing together donor governments to review progress, reflect on lessons learned, and provide strategic guidance for the year ahead.
Opening the meeting, Dr. Jose Matheickal, Director of the Technical Cooperation and Implementation Division, emphasized that initiatives such as GreenVoyage2050 demonstrate the continued value of collective action. He recalled that the programme began as a single-donor initiative supported by the Government of Norway and has since evolved into a fully collaborative multi-donor programme, now recognised as a flagship IMO initiative supporting implementation of the IMO GHG Strategy. He also outlined IMO’s new thematic approach to technical cooperation, aligned with the IMO Capacity Development Strategy, and highlighted how GHG-related initiatives and IMO’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) support will be further coordinated to strengthen delivery at country level.
The GreenVoyage2050 team provided a comprehensive update on programme implementation, highlighting progress across National Action Plan (NAP) development, pilot project preparation, industry collaboration, and the efforts to catalyze financing for pilot implementation. Updates were provided on Phase 1 countries, with the Cook Islands and Solomon Islands having completed their NAPs, Belize expected to finalise its NAP in the coming weeks, and Kenya continuing its process. Bangladesh, Egypt, Ghana, Mexico, and Nigeria continued their efforts to develop NAPs, with countries currently at different stages of the process, reflecting their respective national contexts.
Progress under the GreenVoyage2050 Accelerator was highlighted, including ongoing feasibility studies for pilot projects in India, Indonesia, Türkiye, and Viet Nam, focused on green shipping corridors, ferry electrification and alternative fuel solutions. Donors welcomed the programme’s approach of engaging financial institutions early to help bridge the gap between pilot project development and investment readiness.
An update was also provided on the work of the Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Shipping (Low Carbon GIA), highlighting the contribution of industry expertise to ongoing technical and analytical outputs under the programme. The meeting noted that efforts are underway to better connect these emerging outputs with country-level needs in developing countries.
Reflecting on the discussions, Astrid Dispert, GreenVoyage2050 Manager, noted: ‘GreenVoyage2050 continues to demonstrate how strong partnerships and trust between donors, countries and the IMO can translate ambition into practical action. Donor engagement provides an important sounding board as the programme continues to evolve in line with country priorities and IMO objectives. The year ahead will be critical as we move from planning to delivery across an expanding portfolio of countries and projects.’
GreenVoyage2050 Programme
GreenVoyage2050 is a major technical cooperation programme initiated by the International Maritime Organization to assist developing countries in reducing GHG emissions from shipping, in line with the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.
Now in its second phase (2024–2030), GreenVoyage2050 is supporting partner countries in developing National Action Plans (NAPs) as well as implementing pilot projects to test solutions for reducing GHG emissions from ships.
Leveraging funding from the Governments of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, the GreenVoyage2050 Programme continues to expand, with new countries added each year.
