About 1,000 ports and port-related companies committed themselves in Antwerp to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.
At a two-day event held under the auspices of the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP) in Antwerp last week, the ports and companies expressed commitment to focus on the development of robust infrastructure, climate and energy with emphasis on initiatives that contribute to achieving the objective of the Paris climate change agreement; societal integration; safety and security including cybersecurity; and transparent, ethical policies and management.
“Ports all over the world are aiming for a future built around sustainable economic models,” the CEO of Antwerp Port Authority, Jacques Vandermeiren, said at the event.
“This transition process includes the elements that will help us to respond not only to the global but also the local challenges currently facing us, such as climate change, mobility, digitalisation, migration and societal integration.”
The commitments made by the international port community are recorded in the Charter of the World Ports Sustainability Program, signed on March 22 by the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), the Worldwide Network of Port Cities (AIVP), the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) and the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH). They, together with Antwerp Port Authority, took the initiative to set up the WPSP.
Together, these organizations represent nearly 1,000 ports and port-related companies and bodies from more than 100 countries around the world.
The World Ports Climate Initiative was launched in 2008.