U.S. Embassy Colombo promotes port sustainability at IPBF Satellite Event

In conjunction with the Sixth Indo-Pacific Business Forum held in Manila, the Philippines recently, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, hosted the IPBF Satellite Event under the theme ‘Driving Sustainable Development in the Ports Sector’.   

Drawing from the expertise of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Maldives Ports Limited, South Asia Gateway Terminal, Colombo West International Terminal and other stakeholders, the event showcased how best the ports and shipping industries can reduce their carbon footprint without sacrificing efficiency and productivity.  
In her keynote address, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung reaffirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to promoting sustainable development trends and best practices across the ports, shipping and logistics industries.    

During her remarks, Chung underscored, “The U.S. government recognises just how important the ports and shipping industries are to economic development in Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the other countries across the region. These same ports play an integral role in strengthening the global supply chain, which is vital to the United States and just about every other country around the world. It is our hope to pursue new avenues of collaboration in support of the ports, shipping and logistics sectors while embracing sustainability along the way.”      

In addition, Japanese Ambassador Mizukoshi Hideaki introduced a UNODC presentation on port security assistance funded by the Government of Japan while Australian High Commissioner Paul Stephens kicked off a presentation by the International Finance Corporation about the Australian government-funded port development assistance in Bangladesh.  
The audience, consisting of over 100 business leaders in the ports, shipping and logistics sectors from Sri Lanka and the Maldives, actively engaged with the experts during a deep-dive panel discussion and Q&A session on sustainability measures in port terminals, following the topical presentations.