MEPC 84: IMO chief seeks to find consensus amid net-zero divisions

“… multilateralism is very much alive at IMO and we are ready to address comments and concerns to find consensus,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez told ENGINE on the opening day of MEPC 84.

IMAGE: IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez at a press conference on the first day of MEPC 84 in London. FIMO

“We are committed to the objectives set out in the 2023 GHG strategy. We are making progress on the areas where there is more common agreement and continuing the conversations on areas where there is still a difference of opinion,” he added.

The strong focus on multilateralism and consensus comes amid widening divisions between member states. The EU and Pacific Island states favour adopting the Net-Zero Framework (NZF) that the IMO approved in April 2025. The US and several other, mostly petrostates, have called for significant revisions to key technical and economic elements in the framework.

Under current IMO procedures, the NZF needs to be formally adopted with a two-thirds majority of the member states that are present and voting this week. Failure to secure sufficient backing could leave the framework in limbo.

Dominguez’ remarks suggest multilateralism may emerge as a defining theme of MEPC 84, as delegates seek common ground on some of the most contested elements of the IMO’s climate agenda.

Dominguez declined to comment directly on calls to strip out economic measures from the draft NZF. He said the IMO would respect "whatever decision" its member states agreed on.

Rather than defend any specific part of the framework, Dominguez stressed the need to keep negotiations moving.

“The goals of the strategy remain in place, but it is also important to acknowledge that we need to be pragmatic, we need to be realistic and we need to realise what is happening not just at the IMO but also outside the organisation,” he said.

He also indicated that support for economic measures has not disappeared, despite resistance from some countries.

The balance between technical and economic measures is expected to be one of the defining issues of MEPC 84, alongside the broader test of whether member states can still build consensus on complex emission rules.

There will be no final vote on adoption of the NZF this week. The vote was adjourned at the extraordinary MEPC session last October, and that session must first formally resume before any final decision can be taken.

This week, IMO member states will discuss how and when that session will reconvene, and what procedures will be used.

By Konica Bhatt

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