In 2021 the Consorcio de Gestión del Puerto de Dock Sud (CGPDS), in its capacity as Port Authority, decided to implement a series of cultural changes in the organization and to integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to its corporate strategy that rules its business agenda. The first step in that direction was the creation of a multidisciplinary work team and the raising of awareness on SDGs through dedicated training and capacity building delivered by CIFAL Argentina. CIFAL Argentina is a UN approved entity, member of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and specialized in providing counselling, training and education towards the practical application of the UN SDGs in organizations and enterprises.
The multidisciplinary work team in Port Dock Sud included staff from different divisions (Operations, Administration, Commercial, Human Resources and Engineering) with duties in the areas of security, safety and hygiene, environment, risk prevention, and also included the Port’s General Manager Office and Deputy General Manager’s Office. The team engaged in an analysis of CGPDS’s value chain and processes. Priorities were established based on the findings and seven SDGs were identified, for which dedicated action plans were drawn for the 2022 period. These priority SDGs included; SDG 5 Gender Equality, SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 Climate Action, and SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
The objectives and dedicated action plans for the 7 priority SDGs, that were also aligned with the six areas of interest of WPSP, were then internationally certified by CIFAL Argentina. As part of these action plans, different themes are addressed such as gender equality, water pollution prevention, promoting renewable energy sources, renewal of port infrastructure, waste separation campaigns, “paperless” activities, port and local community relations, digitalization, among others. For example, one of the identified key priority projects was the measuring of the CGPDS’s carbon footprint. It included making the first inventory of Greenhouse Gasses (GHG) and the verification of the respective GHG calculations by a standardization body (IRAM).
Overall, the SDGs certification by CIFAL ensures that relevant and adequate objectives are set and respective action plans are drawn, while offering a robust mechanism to monitor progress over time. Following its initial certification of the 7 SGDs, CGPD got re-certified in Mach 2023, adding a further priority goal; SDG 17 Partnership for the goals. This involved an extensive reporting exercise that provided evidence of the progress achieved to date and follow up commitments.