In a Circular Letter, the organization advised that the IMO Council, meeting by correspondence for its thirty-second Extraordinary Session, is considering the reconstruction of the 2020 meeting schedule, including the possibilities for virtual meetings.

Details on the rescheduling of postponed meetings and scheduling of possible meetings will be made available in good time, so that suitable arrangements can be made by Member States and other participants.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all IMO meetings initially scheduled to take place between late March and July 2020 have been postponed.

The resumption of physical meetings will rely on guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UK Government, as well as IMO member states' situation.

A platform trial (KUDO) which provides for simultaneous interpretation into the Organization's six official languages was conducted during one of a series of informal virtual discussion sessions to facilitate discussions during the Council's current special session.

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