Argentinian ports implement range of activities

Last week, the first-ever UN Global Supply Chain Forum was held in Barbados. The forum tackled, among others, the most pressing issues facing ports worldwide, ranging from building resilient supply chains and leveraging digital technology to advancing environmental sustainability.

The discussions spoke volumes to Marcelo Teper, who works for Argentina’s General Administration of Ports. The organisation was represented at the forum, as part of the TrainForTrade port management network, to share country-specific experiences.

“A port is not simply a centre for loading and unloading goods, but a key player in the logistics chain that provides services and facilities to streamline import and export process”, Teper noted.

With support from UN Trade and Development, the Argentinian ports system has set out to implement a range of activities that prioritise 10 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with specific indicators to measure results. These include training courses on gender equality and empowerment, such as ways to attract and retain women in port management, a profession where men still make up the majority.

Buenos Aires, the principal seaport of Argentina, has put in place a system to monitor operational impact on the environment, as well as sampling sites to measure sedimentation and surface water quality – both key indicators of pollution. Leveraging innovation and technologies, the port also established a digital inventory to help track and control greenhouse gas emissions, while promoting on-site segregation to optimise waste management in line with sanitary, safety and environmental standards.

Mr. Teper leads the National Port Training Center of Argentina (CENCAPOR), a longstanding partner to the TrainForTrade programme of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The programme first delivered a modern port management course in Buenos Aires in 2016, helping kick-start broader training and capacity building across the Latin American nation. So far, CENCAPOR has trained more than 5,000 practitioners working at 13 key ports of Argentina to enhance operation and logistics management.

Besides, the training helped heighten awareness around how ports can be change agents advancing sustainable development, mostly notably through an interactive board game named ”Port Endeavour”, jointly developed by the International Association of Ports and Harbours, the Belgian Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and UN Trade and Development. “Port Endeavour”, an innovative game developed by the programme, helps practitioners in Argentina and beyond understand how ports can take concrete actions to accelerate progress towards sustainable development.