Russia voted out of UN ship agency's governing council

In response to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s plea for nations to forbid Moscow from participating in the UN organization’s executive branch, Russia was unable to secure enough votes on Friday to be re-elected to the governing council of the maritime agency. The result is a further setback for Russia, which already suffered when it lost an election in October that was viewed as a crucial litmus test for Western attempts to maintain Moscow’s isolation from the world. Last year Moscow also failed to win enough votes for re-election to the UN aviation agency’s governing council. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which has 175 member states and is headquartered in London, is in charge of policing international maritime safety and security as well as combating pollution. Since 1958, Russia has been a member of the IMO Council and has been re-elected several times. 40 nations were chosen by secret ballot to serve on the IMO Council, which oversees the organization’s operations, with voting starting on Friday. China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Panama, Norway, South Korea, Britain, and the United States are among them. The country of Ukraine, which was not running for office, has advocated for Russia’s expulsion from the IMO Council. Russia said in October that “external pressure” was causing the IMO to stray from its impartial position and that this was affecting how each member country was treated fairly. (With agency inputs)