Fifth edition of IAPH “Sustainability Awards” launches with call for project submissions

Award winners in six categories are to be announced at the prestigious gala dinner of the #IAPH2023 World Ports Conference in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 1 November 2023

Coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the launch of its World Ports Sustainability Program, the association is delighted to announce its call for project submissions for this year’s edition of the IAPH 2023 Sustainability Awards.

IAPH’s Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven commented: “Over the last five years, the IAPH World Ports Sustainability online database has grown to 237 projects from 109 ports in 47 different countries. This unique knowledge base has allowed us to raise awareness of how ports are integrating UN Sustainable Development Goals into their businesses. In particular, the projects have provided us with the real-life content for our highly successful Port Endeavor game which is now being played with port managers and other stakeholders around the world in partnership with UNCTAD TrainforTrade and APEC. We look forward to further enhancing our database with this year’s awards candidates.”

IAPH regular, as well as associate members working in partnership with member ports, are invited to submit their latest sustainability projects on the World Ports Sustainability Program portal. This means the project will qualify automatically for the #IAPH2023 Sustainability Awards, with winners to be announced at the prestigious gala awards dinner to be held at the #IAPH2023 World Ports Conference in Abu Dhabi on 1 November 2023.

This year, there will be six categories, judged by an independent committee of industry experts. The 18 finalists will then be submitted to the public for a vote. There will also be a seventh, Akiyama Award that will go to the highest-placed IAPH Sustainability Awards finalist runner-up from a Least Developed Country, Landlocked Developing Country, or a Small Island Developing State.

Technical Director Antonis Michail, who manages the overall coordination of the IAPH Sustainability Awards concluded: “The aim of continuously enhancing the content of the program is supported by the submission of these projects. We are already using content from recent projects to further improve the activity choices of the next digital version of our Port Endeavor game, and best practices from these projects also feed into our other initiatives on IAPH’s key areas of interest: energy transition, data collaboration, as well as risk and resilience.”