United Nations System
A1. The IMO and the international regulatory frameworkDefinition
IMO is one of 15 UN specialized agencies, reporting to ECOSOC on technical matters.
The IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations, the UN body responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution from ships. It became a UN specialized agency through its convention, the Convention on the IMO, 1948, which entered into force on 17 March 1958, with the first Assembly meeting in London in January 1959. As a specialized agency it has its own membership, governing organs, and budget, and it coordinates with the UN and other agencies such as the ILO on overlapping mandates like seafarer welfare.
Source: Convention on the International Maritime Organization, 1948 (in force 17 March 1958)