6 May 2020
Delays and disruptions in the supply of goods produced at and shipped by sea will cause significant shortages if governments do not work together to keep global ocean-related supply chains moving during the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations Global Compact warned in a set of recommendations for urgent political action to keep global ocean-related supply chains moving. The recommendations are a consolidation of the work of the COVID-19 Task Force initiated by the UN Global Compact Action Platform for Sustainable Ocean Business, consisting of representatives from internationally leading companies, industry associations including the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), financial institutions, UN specialized agencies and academic institutions. The set of fourteen recommended actions represents a comprehensive, global approach to ensure the continuing safe and efficient function of ocean-related supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. They include the adopting an internationally recognised ‘key worker’ status system and the establishment of a set of indicators that could serve to identify actual and potential disruptions in the ocean-related supply chains.