IMLI and The Nippon Foundation established in 2003 a joint Project entitled “Human Resources Development Project for the Advancement of a More Effective Legal Order for the Oceans”. The aim of this common undertaking is to contribute to the promotion, adoption, effective implementation and enforcement of international maritime conventions adopted under the aegis of the United Nations and IMO, and to encourage greater participation by developing States, particularly Asian, in the major international maritime law conventions and legal instruments.
The Project has been successful due to the fruitful collaboration between the two organizations. To date, the Project continues to offer post-graduate study and research opportunities in international maritime law for deserving candidates. For this purpose the Institute provides its academic and technical expertise and The Nippon Foundation is generously providing scholarships which enable deserving candidates to pursue their studies in international maritime law at the Institute.
In total, so far, sixty-six lawyers from forty States have benefited from the scholarships awarded under the Project.
The “Sasakawa Prize for the Best Performing Nippon Foundation Scholar”, which was awarded for the first time during the 2004 Graduation Ceremony, was created as part of the Project, and is awarded every year to the Nippon Foundation Scholar who has the best overall performance in IMLI’s LL.M. Programme.
The IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Koji Sekimizu presented the IMO International Maritime Prize 2014 to Dr. Yohei Sasakawa (Chairman of The Nippon Foundation), during a ceremony held on 23 November, following the first day of the 29th session of the IMO Assembly.
The Prize presented to Dr. Sasakawa is in recognition of his contribution to the work of the Organization. Therefore, in presenting the Prize to Dr. Sasakawa, Mr. Sekimizu highlighted his long-standing dedication to maritime education and training through the initiatives of The Nippon Foundation and its generous support to both the World Maritime University (WMU) and IMLI.
