IAPH’s World Ports Sustainability Program Partner provides a structured approach for ports at different stages of applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals to their activities
With the launch of their Port Strategy Sustainability Guide, IAPH’s WPSP Partner Ports Australia provides is members with a systematic and robust approach to sustainability as they prepare their strategies or evolve the work they have already done.
The approach has been industry-applied throughout Australia and New Zealand, but equally has the potential to be adapted through ports across the world.
In their release, Ports Australia’s CEO Mike Gallacher commented : “Ports are not just trade gateways, they’re community members operating along Australian coastlines which aren’t just beautiful locations, but socially and ecologically important environments. We recognised that sustainability, just like the ports sector, is unique. There is no one size that fits all, which is why this Guide had to be made adaptable to suit any port wanting to future-proof their business.”
The organization is an Associate Member of IAPH has been an active Partner of the IAPH World Ports Sustainability Program since 2018, establishing an online sustainability hub in June last year in which it outlines concrete projects led by its members in all WPSP main disciplines, namely Climate and Energy, Resilient Infrastructure, Safety and Security, Community Outreach and Governance & Ethics. Some of these have been shortlisted and been finalists for the IAPH World Ports Sustainability Awards in 2019 and 2020.
In the Guide’s launch movie, IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven echoed Mike Gallacher in his own contribution :
“A good sustainability strategy is an integrated one. The main added value of this guide is that it offers a structured approach to ports, also taking into account where they are as not every port will be in the same stage of development when it comes to applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
Media contact for Ports Australia : Josh Appleton, Communications Director
Email: jappleton@portsaustralia.com.au
Ports Australia is the peak industry body representing port authorities and corporations, both publicly and privately owned, at the national level.
The guide is available for downloading on the Ports Australia website.
www.portsaustralia.com.au/news/mediacentre
Contact for the story :
Victor Shieh , Communications Partner – World Ports Sustainability Program
Email: victor.shieh@sustainableworldports.org
About IAPH (iaphworldports.org)
Founded in 1955, the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) is a non-profit-making global alliance of 170 ports and 140 port-related organisations covering 90 countries. Its member ports handle more than 60 percent of global maritime trade and around 80 percent of world container traffic. IAPH has consultative NGO status with several United Nations agencies. In 2018, IAPH established the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP). Guided by the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, it aims to unite sustainability efforts of ports worldwide, encouraging international cooperation between all partners involved in the maritime supply chain. WPSP (sustainableworldports.org) covers five main areas of collaboration: energy transition, resilient infrastructure, safety and security, community outreach and governance.