The CIP-OAS Secretariat Catalyzes Cooperation Among Port Authorities

The recent activities of the Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee on Ports (S/CIP) of the OAS illustrate its strategic role in promoting high-level policy dialogue and cooperation between port authorities. The First Hemispheric Seminar on Port Legislation held on November 24 and 25 in Montevideo, Uruguay, and the Ibero-American Course on Port Management concluded in Madrid, Spain on October 24 highlight the capability of the Organization to combine policy aspects with concrete actions to advance the development of the region.

In collaboration with the National Port Authority of Uruguay, current Chair of the Executive Board of the CIP, and with the participation of the Minister of Transport of Uruguay, Enrique Pintado, the seminar brought together port authorities from 18 member countries of the CIP/OAS with representatives of international institutions, private sector companies, and experts from the academia, to discuss how to work together to ensure that port legislation responds to global trends. Topics ranged from port public policy, environmental legislation and multimodal transportation, to trends in port labor administration, regulatory policies for risk management, City-Port relationships, and safety and security.

During her opening remarks, Sherry Tross, Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS emphasized that "port activity needs to be part of the strategic agenda of state policies. To do this task successfully, governments must engage in an ongoing dialogue with the private sector. The Secretariat of the CIP has recognized the importance of this multi-sectoral dialogue, and launched a dedicated effort to integrate the private sector into policy dialogue efforts, including it in the work of the Committee as Associate Members. "

In this regard, it is noted that during the event a letter of intent between the Port Authority of Barbados, Barbados Port Inc., and the company RightShip-Americas was signed to develop a public-private incentive program that rewards port vessels for being more energy efficient, polluting less, and thus reducing their emissions of carbon dioxide. David Jean Marie, CEO of Barbados Port, Inc., acknowledged the contribution of the OAS through the Secretariat of the CIP, stating that “the OAS played a key role in facilitating our partnership with RightShip. Barbados Port is an early adopter to this program, however we are one part of a coordinated effort across the industry to promote efficient shipping. By ‘acting local’ and protecting our port environment we are part of a larger global movement intent on reducing the carbon footprint of the shipping industry.”

As a further example of cooperation, the publication "Economic and competitiveness gains from the adoption of best practices in intermodal maritime and road transport in the Americas: The TIR system as an example of a best practice" was launched at the event. The publication was produced by the firm Oxford Economics through a financial contribution from the International Road Transport Union (IRU), Associate Member of the CIP, and the support of the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Mexico.

Moreover, the CIP Secretariat continued its cooperation with the Spanish public entity Puertos del Estado, which since 2003 has trained over 770 port professionals from member countries. The nineteenth edition of the Ibero-American Course on Port Management was held in Madrid, Spain, from September 29 to October 24, 2014, training 20 port professionals from 11 member countries.

The intensive course includes three weeks of training and one week of on-site visits, allowing participants to analyze and experience major port development models, with emphasis on the cases of Spain and Latin America. Patricia Angulo Romero, Representative of the Puerto Morelos Mexican Association of Port, Coastal and Marine Infrastructure (AMIP), welcomed the opportunity to participate, stating that "this month has been truly rewarding. The opportunity provided by the OAS and Puertos del Estado for us to be nurtured by the knowledge and experiences from both the speakers and participating colleagues is unparalleled. Without a doubt, the challenge now begins as we seek to work together for Latin America."

Policy dialogue and capacity building are the main activities of the CIP Secretariat, tasks that are possible through the support of various public and private actors. "Addressing the challenges of port modernization in the Americas is a task that can only be addressed through cooperation, which is actively promoted by the OAS," concluded Jorge Duran, Chief of the CIP/OAS Secretariat.