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OAS and Arica Port Authority Sign Cooperation Agreement

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Arica Port Authority (EPA) of Chile today signed at the headquarters of the multilateral institution a Memorandum of Understanding through which the two entities will join forces to promote the integral development of ports through training alternatives and technical assistance, as well as to strengthen joint synergies involving the exchange of experiences and best practices to achieve the integral development of the ports of the Americas.

The Memorandum was signed, in the presence of the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, by the Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the Organization, Sherry Tross, representing the Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission of Ports (CIP), and by the President of the Directorate of the Arica Port Authority, Francisco Javier Gonzalez Silva.

Secretary General Insulza highlighted the importance for the Organization of the agreement, “in that it responds to our interest in having the Inter-American Commission on Ports become involved more directly and cooperate more deeply with the various ports of the Hemisphere, who have experiences to relate and achievements to share.” He recalled that the Port of Arica will be the host of the XXIV Latin American Congress of the American Association of Port Authorities.

The Chairman of the EPA, for his part, expressed his gratitude to the OAS and the CIP for the initiative and reiterated his commitment to “cooperate and honor this protocol and help it to reach its highest expression.” For his organization, he said, the signing of the agreement represents “a true privilege, an opportunity.”

Silva recalled that the EPA was one of the winners of the first edition of the Maritime Prize of the Americas in the category of Management of Environmentally Sustainable Residuals in Ports, awarded in June by the CIP and the North America Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA). The award highlighted “its winning practices for avoiding environmental contamination in the port, resulting for powder created by the charcoal and other minerals during loading.”

The Memorandum signed today establishes guidelines for the execution of programs, projects and activities that promote integral development of ports. Moreover, it delineates the basis for the development of an international network of port professionals to improve the dissemination of information and best practices, and the integration of different areas related to port development such as: planning and port management; environmental management; logistics; innovation, and competitiveness. It also provides for training through courses, seminars and workshops on environmental issues, especially carbon footprints, hydro footprints, and energy efficiency.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the OAS, Sonia Johnny, several representatives of other member states, and the Chief of the CIP, Jorge Durán.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The B-Roll of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-406/14