TrainForTrade Port Management Week

Ships carry over 80% of the goods the world imports and exports. So when ports slow down, the global trading system gets disrupted, leaving everyone empty-handed – businesses, consumers, schools, hospitals. The COVID-19 pandemic was a stark reminder of the crucial role ports play in socioeconomic development and the urgent need to build their resilience to crises, including climate change.

Since 1996, the UNCTAD TrainForTrade Port Management Programme has supported port communities in developing countries to become more efficient and competitive. It operates through three language networks (English, French and Spanish), working with hundreds of ports in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

This high-level event is the first Port Management Week since the pandemic started. The existing global context highlights the urgent need to maintain the highest degree of efficiency in the whole chain of transport, of which parts play a key role. 

Objectives 

The objectives of the Port Management Week are to help countries build back better by:

• Engaging in high-level discussions on key thematics linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and port management, including climate change, the environment, digitalization and cybersecurity
• Participating in the global coordination meeting of the three TrainForTrade language-based networks to exchange information, best practices and recommendations
• Assessing the latest trends of the Port Performance Scorecard and statistics of the networks.

Target groups

This series of high-level port meetings is open to the representatives of TrainForTrade Port Management Programme port members from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Due to the physical limitations of the conference, the following representatives are prioritized:

• CEOs of the port authorities
• Port Management Programme Focal Points
• Port Performance Scorecard (statistics) Contact Points