IMO Secretary-General Emeritus Dr. C.P. Srivastava, KCMG,
Secretary-General Emeritus of the International Maritme Organization
(IMO), has died in Italy, aged 93.IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu expressed his sincere condolences to the Indian Government and Dr. C.P. Srivastava’s remaining family,
and also the condolences of the entire IMO membership and staff.”It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of
Dr. C.P. Srivastava, the longest-serving Secretary-General of the
Organization,” Mr. Sekimizu said. ”Dr. C.P.
Srivastava was a truly great Secretary-General who established the World Maritime University and placed IMO’s work on technical co-operation in a central position in the work of the Organization, in order to promote
the implementation of IMO conventions on a truly global scale.”Mr. Sekimizu added: “I met C.P. in Tokyo In 1981 and I was inspired by him to explore my career in the Japanese
Government in the field of international co-operation dealing with
shipping and I was really fortunate to have been recruited by him as an
officer of IMO in 1989. I have been contacting him this year and I was
pleased to deliver his congratulatory messages on his behalf at the
Commemorative Event, held at IMO headquarters to celebrate 30 years of
the World Maritime University, on 10th July. The last time I spoke to
him was when I telephoned him just after the WMU 30th celebration
reception, to immediately report to him about the successful holding of
the event. He was delighted with the information that the event was
successful and he was pleased with the current state of developments at
the University, strengthening its activities with the vision established by him 30 years’ ago.”During Dr. Srivastava’s tenure as Secretary-General, from 1974 until
his retirement on 31 December 1989, IMO increased its membership
considerably. Dr. Srivastava was well known for his relentless efforts
to make IMO known to the developing world and for encouraging developing countries to join the “rich men’s club”, as IMO was often referred to
at the time. This shaped the structure of the Organization’s membership
to its present status, whereby two-thirds of the 170-strong membership
(and three Associate Members) is represented by developing countries,
making a significant contribution to IMO.Dr. Srivastava’s leadership of IMO is associated with the success of
the 1978 Tanker Safety and Pollution Prevention (TSPP) Conference, and
the development and adoption of the International Convention on
Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers
(STCW), 1978, the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR), 1979, the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts
Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA), 1988, and related
Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of
Fixed Platforms located on the Continental Shelf, and many other
treaties and Codes.During his tenure, a comprehensive, pragmatic and co-ordinated
programme of technical co-operation was conceived and developed and
effective steps were taken to promote its continuing implementation.Dr. Srivastava will be remembered for his visionary and pioneering
role and his ceaseless efforts in the establishment of IMO’s global
educational institutions, including the World Maritime University (WMU), in Malmö, Sweden, and the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI),
in Malta.Earlier this month, Dr. Srivastava had sent a message of support to
be read out during celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the
founding of WMU, which were held at IMO Headquarters in London. Reading
out his message, IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu described him as
the ”founding father” of WMU, which has become IMO’s centre of
excellence for postgraduate maritime education.IMO Secretary-General Emeritus Dr. C.P. Srivastava, KCMGC.P. Srivastava was born on 8 July 1920 and was educated in Lucknow, India (obtaining BA, MA and LLB degrees).He started his career as a civil servant in the Indian Administrative Service in India, serving as the district administrator in Meerut and
Lucknow, and then went on to the post of Joint Secretary to the Indian
Prime Minister’s office of the late Lal Bahadur Shastri from 1964
to1966.Early in his career, he found his forte in the field of seafarers
training and welfare. During 1947 to 1948, he was the prime mover in the establishment of a network of new maritime training institutions, which have since produced world class maritime personnel, greatly
facilitating the growth of Indian shipping in the years following
Independence.After a stint at the Directorate General of Shipping, he was
appointed as the Founder Chief Executive of the Shipping Corporation of
India, a Government of India enterprise, which he built up to the
largest shipping company of India and one of the biggest and most
successful shipping companies of the world, with a diversified fleet of
cargo liners, tankers, bulk carriers and passenger ships. For his
exceptionally outstanding work as Chairman & Managing Director of
the Shipping Corporation of India, he received the Padma Bhusan (one of
the highest civilian awards in the Republic of India) in 1972 in
recognition of his contributions to establishing one of the most
successful public sector undertakings in India.Dr. C.P. Srivastava become the first chief executive of the Shipping
Corporation of India and In 1974 he was elected to serve as the
Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and
was re-elected unanimously for three successive four-year terms, serving until his retirement in 1989.As Secretary-General of IMO, Dr. C.P. Srivastava recognized the
crucial importance of the human element in ensuring safety and
efficiency in international shipping and played a pioneering role in the establishment of the International Maritime Academy in Italy, and the
International Maritime Law Institute in Malta. He was the founding
father and also the first Chancellor of World Maritime University which
was founded in 1983 to address a pressing need for trained maritime
professionals in the developing world. He was the inspired prime mover
in the development of the concept of World Maritime University and IMLI, and in the immense job of planning, negotiating, fundraising,
organizing and implementation that was required to take a vision and
turn it into a reality.In 1987 he was named an honorary graduate by the University of Wales.Just before his retirement from his post as IMO Secretary-General in
1989, the IMO Assembly, meeting for its 16th session, unanimously
adopted a resolution (A.679(16)), noting his retirement with regret and
recording his services to IMO Member States. The resolution noted that,
throughout his tenure, which comprised four successive terms and lasted
16 years, Dr. Srivastava rendered exceptionally meritorious services to
the Organization with total commitment to its ideals and objectives.As a result of his leadership, integrity, dedicated endeavour and
initiative, it said, the membership of the Organization stood greatly
enhanced and its universality well established; many conventions and
protocols had received wide acceptance and were now in force, promoting
the objectives for the Organization of safer shipping and cleaner oceans and the IMO spirit of goodwill and co-operation has been sustained and
enhanced.It was during Dr. Srivastava’s tenure that a comprehensive, pragmatic and co-ordinated programme of technical co-operation was conceived and
developed and effective steps were taken to promote its continuing
implementation.The resolution went on to recognise the visionary and pioneering role of Dr. Srivastava, and his ceaseless efforts in the establishment of
IMO’s educational institutions, including the World Maritime University
and the International Maritime Law Institute.In 1990, in recognition of his service and contribution to world
shipping, Dr. C. P. Srivastava was conferred, by Queen Elizabeth II of
the United kingdom, the title of Honorary Knight Commander of the Most
Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (KCMG).In 1991, he received the International Maritime prize from the IMO for his contribution to their work and objectives.In 2005 he was awarded the 2004 Lal bahadur Shastri National Award
for Excellence in Public Administration and Management Sciences by the
then President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award, by the President of India.Dr. C.P. Srivastava was married to Nirmala Srivastava, the founder of Sahaja Yoga, a unique method of meditation, based on an experience
called self-realization. Dr.C. P. Srivastava has stated that his life
has been greatly influenced by his wife and he has been motivated by her vision of one Almighty God and one human family. This vision motivated
him in all aspects of his life.He is survived by two daughters.
IMO&EU NEWS
23 July 2013 - 21:11
IMO Secretary-General Emeritus, Dr. C.P. Srivastava, KCMG Dies at Age 93
IMO Secretary-General Emeritus Dr. C.P. Srivastava, KCMG, Secretary-General Emeritus of the International Maritme Organization (IMO), has died in Italy, aged 93.
IMO&EU NEWS
23 July 2013 - 21:11
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