NEW YORK – Liberia and India have won the support of 25 other countries, among them France, Germany, Japan and Russia, for a new United Nations platform to protect commercial shipping and the seafarers who crew it, turning an idea first discussed in New Delhi last month into a multilateral initiative the two countries will lead.
The two governments launched the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers at U.N. Headquarters on the margins of the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly. Foreign ministers, deputy foreign ministers, ambassadors and other senior officials represented the 27 participating countries, which delivered statements of support and signaled interest in the group.
Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti said the group would move beyond statements of concern to practical cooperation.
Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti alongside Liberia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Lewis Brown sitting with other diplomats
“The Group of Friends is not a symbolic gesture. It is an action-driven multilateral coalition,” she said. “We are not here to duplicate. We are here to complement and strengthen.”
The group will work within the frameworks of the International Maritime Organization and the International Labour Organization, drawing on the combined diplomatic and maritime weight of its participants to strengthen policy, operational standards and protections for the men and women serving at sea. It is meant to give flag states, coastal states, port states, seafarer-supplying countries and other stakeholders a place to coordinate, exchange good practices, promote implementation of existing international instruments and keep seafarer protection high on the international agenda.
Its work rests on three priorities: the safety of shipping, the security of maritime corridors and the protection of seafarers.
Nyanti said Liberia and India bring complementary strengths. Liberia operates one of the world’s leading international ship registries, while India supplies one of the world’s largest maritime workforces of skilled seafarers, officers and technical professionals.
“When Liberia’s regulatory reach meets India’s maritime workforce, our shared responsibility to the global commons becomes undeniable,” Nyanti said.
She said commercial shipping is operating under compounding pressures, including geopolitical tensions, piracy, armed attacks, disruptions to major transit routes and cyber threats, while persistent problems remain in maritime safety and the protection of seafarers.
“More than 80 percent of the goods that power, feed and sustain our world move by sea. The global economy does not run on abstract figures; it moves on water,” Nyanti said.
She said the people who sustain global shipping must remain at the center of international maritime policy.
The initiative grew out of Nyanti’s official visit to India in August, when Liberia reopened its resident embassy in New Delhi after more than 35 years. During talks around the reopening, the two governments explored deeper maritime cooperation and the creation of an international platform on the safety and security of shipping and seafarers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the move from a bilateral concept to a multilateral initiative within weeks as results-driven diplomacy.
Countries backing the initiative include France, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Sierra Leone, the Philippines, Portugal, Panama, Bahrain, Malta, Singapore, Vietnam, Croatia, Indonesia, Cyprus, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
Nyanti said maritime security directly supports President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr.’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, linking secure maritime corridors to trade, investment, food and energy security, resilient supply chains and Liberia’s ability to harness its maritime resources for national development. The ministry said the launch is part of the government’s effort to turn Boakai’s development vision into international partnerships that advance Liberia’s interests and position the country as a contributor to global peace, security and development.
Nyanti credited the Liberia Maritime Authority, led by Commissioner General Neto Zarzar Lighe Sr., and the Liberia International Ship & Corporate Registry with strengthening the country’s maritime sector and supporting its leadership in international shipping. She said Liberia’s position as a leading flag state brings economic benefits and international standing, but also a responsibility to help keep global shipping safe, secure and responsive to the welfare of those who operate commercial vessels.
The initiative comes as Liberia serves a 2026-2027 term on the U.N. Security Council, connecting its maritime standing with its responsibilities for international peace and security. Nyanti called on governments, international organizations, maritime stakeholders and social partners to support the initiative and keep the lives and dignity of seafarers at the center of global maritime policy.
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