Disruptions in supply chains can have a significant impact on ports as critical points in the flow of goods globally. In recent years, global trade has undergone significant changes due to events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, trade tensions between major economic powers, geopolitical conflicts, climate change effects and the increasing digitalisation of trade, all of which highlight the vulnerability of international trade infrastructure.

In this context, ports face several challenges and opportunities, such as port congestion, competition between ports to attract shipping traffic, concerns about port and cargo security, as well as cybersecurity and the need to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations. However, these challenges also present opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.

In this regard, collaboration among maritime stakeholders, including governments, port authorities, shipping lines and logistics companies, is essential to effectively address such challenges and take advantage of emerging opportunities. This can improve operational efficiency and port competitiveness, as well as promote stronger relationships among port stakeholders, which in turn can contribute to the long-term growth and development of the sector and the consolidation of its port communities.

Together with this collaboration and the development of digital capabilities, strategic planning and investment in modern, safe and sustainable port infrastructure will ensure that ports remain engines of world trade in the future.

It is noteworthy that, among public-private partnerships, concessions and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) stand out in the sector as efficient models for the adoption of latest trends and solutions to infrastructure needs and operational improvements in the region. In the coming years, many port terminal concession contracts will expire, which will require renegotiation processes or new tenders, so it will be necessary to take into consideration the continuity of port services and the persistence of competitive conditions in the market.

The VIII Regional Meeting will be a space to address these issues that strengthen the ecosystem of digital and collaborative ports in the region. It will also facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences among the Member States that face common problems and that aim to overcome, through joint efforts, the challenges of development.

1. To present the structure, progress, projects and challenges of the Mexican port system.
2. To show how disruptions in supply chains, generated by health, geopolitical and environmental factors, are impacting world trade and how ports have improved their capacity to continue operating even when affected by the aforementioned factors and by the emergence of alternative routes motivated by innovation and resilience.
3. To deepen the operational arrangements related to maritime port security and the national and/or local response capabilities of countries to potential threats, in line with the provisions set out by the IMO, in order to achieve secure and safe trade.
4. To raise awareness of the progress of innovative technologies and their application in the maritime-port sector, such as AI, and the challenges of their implementation in the ports of Latin America and the Caribbean.
5. To identify the main trends in the sector, the PPP port and terminal schemes and the current concession regimes in the region; as well as to analyse the challenges presented by the sector in view of the forthcoming expiry of the concession contracts of the port terminals in the region.
6. To inform the members of the NETWORK about the results of the consultancy associated with the SELA-CAF Cooperation Agreement, as well as the work plan for the next few years.

The VIII Regional Meeting of Port Logistics Communities is organised by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), through the Network of Digital and Collaborative Ports, in collaboration with CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Municipality of Veracruz in Mexico and the Administration of the National Port System of Veracruz (ASIPONA).

Date: From 16 to 18 October 2024.

Time: 10:00 a.m. (Caracas time | GTM-4)

Modality: This meeting will be held virtually.

Registration through the following link: https://bit.ly/3XjVu21

Language: Spanish, with simultaneous translation into English.

At the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA):

• José Miguel Rovira, Coordinator of the Economic Recovery Area

E-mail: jrovira@sela.org

• Elisabet Torres, Analyst of the Economic Recovery Area

E-mail: etorres@sela.org

At the Administration of the National Port System of Veracruz (ASIPONA):

• Rafael Alberto Lascuaraín Fernandez

E-mail: sgsmercado@puertodeveracruz.com.mx

At the Municipality of Veracruz:

• Marisol Hernandez García

E-mail: subcoordinacionportuariayzf@veracruzmunicipio.gob.mx