Past events

Ports and their logistics chains, which are demanded by the central role they play in the functioning of a globalised economy, are facing, day after day, more dynamic and demanding performance requirements and levels of efficiency, security, flexibility, adaptability and resilience, a trend that the emergence of COVID-19 has contributed to drastically accelerate. Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a diverse constellation of technologies, such as wireless communications (5G/LTE), IoT, Edge Computing, blockchain, robotics, automation, etc., which are often grouped under the denomination of “Exponential Technologies” because their development rates are increasingly faster and accelerate simultaneously; and the irruption of 4.0 tools as digital twins, in addition to facilitating compliance with these requirements and boosting the competitiveness and sustainability of ports, are beginning to forge the pattern of the ports of tomorrow, the so-called “Smart Ports.” In fact, the irruption of these technologies in ports and their logistics chains promises to go beyond providing incremental improvements and new capabilities, as they are called to cause disruptions in all spheres of port activity, including its rules of the game and business models; to redefine its frontiers; as well as to forge new paradigms yet to be visualised. In short, to reinvent the ports.

The Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) conducted in 2021 the first training programme on the relationship between diplomacy and technology. The relevance of the approach and the interest of the Foreign Ministries of the region boosted the development of negotiating skills in cyberspace governance for a better understanding of the application of diplomacy to political and geopolitical problems arising in cyberspace.  In this connection, the Permanent Secretariat is organizing the second training courses on Cyberdiplomacy and Techplomacy, to be taught by professors from the European Institute for International Studies (IEEI) and the Institute of European Studies and Human Rights at the Pontifical University of Salamanca.

The Permanent Secretariat of SELA and CAF-Development Bank of Latin America, through its CAF-LOGRA program, undertook in 2014 the “Programme for the Creation of the Latin American Network of Digital and Cooperative Ports – Strengthening logistic port communities, service standards and technology innovation for a globalized, logitistically competitive and sustainable foreign trade” (hereinafter, D&C Port Network Programme). The programme displays a new inter-institutional and technical cooperation scheme to strenghten public policies for the domestic port sector and enforce technical recommendations in individual port systems. Since then, the Network of Ports has focused on building a reference model of institutional and technological innovation for logistic port communities, incorporating international best practices according to the specific realities of the participating countries. In this regard, institutional, operational and technological lines of action have been established to help close gaps in sustainability and logistics competitiveness. The D&C Port Network comprises public, private and regional agencies, namely ministries of transportation, national institutes, established port communities, port authorities, maritime authorities, professional associations, universities and enterprises linked to the maritime and port sector. Since May 2021, representatives of SELA and CAF-development bank of Latin America, as well as the Steering Committee of the Network, have held progressive meetings in order to outline the roadmap for the upcoming years, consolidate the internal operations, set strategic goals, and keep working on regional integration in transit to a new stage of the Network. In this context, the General Assembly of the Steering Committee and Members of the Network of Digital and Collaborative Ports was held on 24 November 2021, where the progress and results of the aforementioned meetings were presented. Furthermore, the need to consider the aspect of its institutionalisation and formalisation was highlighted, in order to maintain the levels of recognition, legitimacy and cohesion of the programme. The VI Meeting will be a space to reunite the parties to the maritime-port sector, which will exhibit their advances and experiences in terms of intermodality, digitalization, sustainability, and port security, and learn about the best practices in the city-port relationship. This event is organised by the Permanent Secretariat of SELA, with the institutional support of CAF-development bank of Latin America and the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP).

This event aims to identify mechanisms to address the difficulties that impede increased trade between our regions, including logistical and regulatory issues, as well as problems of awareness of the existing opportunities.

The Latin American Council is the highest decision-making body of SELA, made up of one representative of each Member State, which meets annually and is in charge of establishing the general policies of the organization. The sessions of the XLVII Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council of SELA will be held at the Permanent Secretariat headquarters in person and online via Zoom. The Preparatory Stage will start on Monday 29 November 2021, at 10:00 a.m. The Ministerial Meeting will be held on Tuesday 30 November 2021, at 11:00 a.m. (Venezuela’s time).

The Latin-American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) in collaboration with the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Digital and Collaborative Port Networks and the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC), will organize a Virtual Seminar on the Port Experience in the Caribbean on 25th-26th October, 2021. One of the main objectives of this seminar is to improve port management and operational efficiency within the region. The supply chain disruptions and recurring bottlenecks in ports that resulted from the pandemic demonstrate the inefficiencies in the sector, so it has become a challenge to maintain the fast, efficient and profitable movement of cargo in a cost-effective manner. On the other hand, the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic has also heightened interest in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), specifically those related to infrastructure and transport services. The challenge is to generate the economic, financial, technical, and regulatory conditions that allow maintaining these partnerships, collaboration, and cooperation between sectors. Global trends and the need for a robust and innovative transport system require significant capital-intensive investment. In that sense, public-private partnerships (PPPs) represent potential mechanisms to support the development of ports in the region. Research has shown that PPPs, which combine the capabilities of the private sector with the social responsibilities of the public sector, can make a significant difference in the development of a sustainable transport system. Within this framework, PPP becomes critical for effectively managing port operations especially within the context of a rapidly digitizing world. With this new drive for digital acceleration including the employment of innovative tools, methodologies, and technologies, having the right resources must be a key pillar for port development within the region. It is therefore crucial to develop the capacities for effectively maintaining these relationships and harnessing the resources made available through these relations. In this sense, this virtual seminar will focus on building awareness and capacity to effectively utilize PPP as a tool for port management efficiency. Together with this, it will highlight best practice examples and innovative procedures used by Port Authorities in the region to manage ports and facilitate trade. This event will constitute a platform for dialogue and a space to share ideas, lessons learned and experiences that will improve the port environment of the region and promote regional integration.