With twenty days left for the public to choose their favourite WPSP port projects in six award categories ahead of the IAPH World Ports Conference in Guangzhou, we shall be profiling the three finalists for each category, starting with Governance and Ethics
Principles of good corporate governance are increasingly being introduced at various port authorities. IAPH intends to take a leading role as to how ports integrate the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals into their business principles. A recent UNCTAD-hosted workshop of IAPH member ports in Geneva has already paved the way forward to create a roadmap for this integration. The ultimate aim is to provide guidance through appropriate tools and methodologies and to boost the integration of SDGs in port governance and strategies.
Gladstone Ports Corporation – Indigenous Empowerment and Partnership
For an example of applying business ethics in practice, Gladstone Ports Corporation has worked closely with local first nation communities in establishing an Indigenous Land Use Agreement covering the activities of across the ports of Gladstone, Bundaberg and Rockhampton. This agreement on land use for port development generates benefits to support local community applications to funding education, training and community welfare, amongst other initiatives.
Kenya Ports Authority – Tunahusika Corporate Social Investment program
In Africa, the Kenya Ports Authority has allocated a percentage of its bottom line to its Tunashusika Corporate Social Investment Program. This Program aims at funding and supporting school infrastructure in the many surrounding costal communities where its present and future employees come from. The fund also works with local counties in the construction of healthcare facilities and hosting onsite medical camps.
Port of Vancouver – Sustainability Governance
A fine example of integrated governance can be found at the Port of Vancouver. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority engaged with stakeholders over a two-year period to identify the long-term future vision of the port. It is now actively integrating sustainability throughout the port's business and processes with strong supporting measurement tools to ensure ambitions to meet the vision are met. These are apparent not only in the governance structure set up but also the comprehensive annual sustainability reports. Practical monitoring tools available to the public have also been set up online such as the port dashboard covering all aspects of the supply chain and live monitoring of the environment in and around the port.
To see all six categories and finalists in each , check out our competition area here.
For those who would like to vote (maximum one session to vote for up to all six categories), please click here.
Contact details for the IAPH World Ports Sustainability Awards:
Antonis Michail, Technical Director – World Ports Sustainability Program