The Parliament has approved the Maldives' participation in the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authority (IALA).
The Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee had earlier approved Maldives' participation in the two international organizations. When asked to vote on the matter, 53 members voted in favor of joining the IALA, and no members voted against it. Forty-nine members voted in favor of joining IMSO, and no members voted against it.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sought Parliament's approval to join the two organizations after the Cabinet recommended the President for the Maldives to participate in the organizations.
The Maldives is a member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). IMSO was established in 1979 with the assistance of the IMO to provide assistance to the organization.
The primary function of IMSO is to facilitate the implementation of all aspects of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and Long Range Identification and Tracking of Ships (LRIT). GMDSS and LRIT are mandated by the IMO convention, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 1974, to member countries. While the Maldives is also a participant in IMO and SOLAS, the IMO member state audit had also recommended the Maldives' participation in IMSO.
