Leadership Activities, Event Registrations and Calls for Bids
2025 FIATA-RAMS Field Meeting: Last Call to Register!
The 2025 FIATA–Region Americas (RAMS) Field Meeting will take place on 3–5 December 2025 in Cartagena, Colombia, alongside the FITAC (Federación Colombiana de Agentes Logísticos en Comercio Internacional) International Congress (FIC). This regional gathering will convene freight forwarding and logistics leaders from across the Americas to examine current developments, strengthen cooperation and deepen engagement with national and regional partners.
Cartagena, a major gateway for regional and international trade, offers a strategic setting for discussions on multimodal transport, digital transformation, sustainability and the evolving policy landscape. Colombia’s long-standing commitment to strengthening logistics networks across the continent provides an ideal backdrop for these exchanges.
Participants will benefit from a comprehensive three-day programme featuring high-level dialogues on maritime logistics, trade corridors, innovation and the operational realities shaping supply chains in the region. The FIATA Working Group Sea will contribute dedicated insights on maritime trends, regulatory updates and emerging challenges relevant to the Americas.
The Field Meeting will create an opportunity for forwarders, operators, policymakers and institutional partners to share experiences, explore synergies and advance practical regional solutions to common challenges.
Cartagena is set to provide a productive environment for dialogue aimed at strengthening efficient, resilient and sustainable logistics across the Americas.
Click here to access the programme.
Register now for the 2025 FIATA-RAMS Field Meeting!
FIATA Leadership: Strengthening Global Engagement Across Key Industry Platforms
Prof. Dr Thomas Sim, FIATA President.
FIATA leadership have been active across key international platforms this week, strengthening dialogue with governments, partners, and industry leaders on the future of freight logistics.
FIATA President, Prof. Dr Thomas Sim, joined the Autumn Economic Forum in Ho Chi Minh City from 25 to 27 November. In a period marked by significant global shifts Prof. Sim underlined that the most competitive economies are those that weave digitalisation, environmental ambition and smart port ecosystems into coherent national strategies. He highlighted FIATA’s ongoing collaboration with governments, noting that smart logistics thrives when policy alignment, supportive infrastructure and industry-led innovation come together. Public–private partnerships remain central to this progress, with authorities creating the enabling environment while the industry advances new solutions. He also presented FIATA’s digital work, including its efforts on the digital, negotiable FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (eFBL), and stressed that the future of logistics depends equally on human capital. As the sector evolves, skills and training must empower the next generation of logisticians to be digitally fluent, sustainability focused and equipped to drive meaningful innovation.
FIATA Senior Vice-President, Ms Nadia Abdul Aziz, joined the Logistics Leaders MENA Conference in Dubai to highlight FIATA’s leadership in advancing capacity building, facilitation and innovation. She emphasised the UAE’s strategic location, strong infrastructure and rapid digital adoption, while addressing the disruptions affecting logistics today, including geopolitical tensions, regulatory changes, supply chain volatility and financial pressures. The discussion underscored the need for resilient, technology-enabled networks supported by long-term infrastructure, including the development of Etihad Rail.
Ms Nadia also underlined the importance of upskilling and cross-training in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, digital twins, blockchain documentation and advanced forecasting. These capabilities enhance crisis and risk management, safety, compliance and quality control. Building on this, Ms Nadia noted FIATA and National Association of Freight and Logistics' (NAFL) work on digitalisation, training, regulatory alignment and industry cooperation. She emphasised the importance of skills, innovation and coordination across stakeholders to sustain the UAE’s role as a leading logistics and transshipment hub.
FIATA Senior Vice-President, Mr Yukki Nugrahawan Hanafi, participated in the Indonesia International Transport Summit 2025 in Jakarta, where he served as a keynote speaker in the plenary session dedicated to the role of Batam, Indonesia, in shaping integrated logistics transport and reinforcing regional connectivity. Organised by ITS Indonesia with the support of national authorities, the Summit gathered policymakers, businesses, and associations from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss intelligent and sustainable transport solutions. His contribution highlighted the value of international cooperation, the potential of multimodal connectivity, and the importance of strengthening supply chain resilience through modern, forward-looking logistics systems.
Through these engagements, FIATA continues to work closely with partners around the world to promote efficient, secure, and sustainable logistics solutions that support economic development and global trade.
Mr Yukki Nugrahawan Hanafi, FIATA Senior VIce-President.
Call for bids: 2029 FIATA World Congress
FIATA Association Members are reminded that bids are open to host the 66th edition of the FIATA World Congress (FWC) in 2029. This milestone event, offers an exceptional platform for the selected host to present the logistics sector, cultural strengths and organisational capabilities of their region to a global audience.
The FIATA World Congress stands as a flagship gathering for the freight forwarding, logistics and supply chain community. Each edition brings together industry leaders, innovators and institutional partners from around the world to engage in dialogue, build partnerships and explore emerging trends. Hosting the Congress offers a valuable opportunity to highlight regional expertise, strengthen international visibility and foster new business connections.
A successful bid also supports a deeper relationship between the host Association and its government. The three-year preparation period provides sustained opportunities for policy dialogue, institutional cooperation and access to FIATA’s knowledge base. Bringing FIATA’s expertise directly to the region enhances national capabilities, supports strategic transport and logistics priorities and reinforces recognition of the Association’s role within its domestic ecosystem.
Association Members interested in hosting are invited to send a Letter of Intent by 31 December 2025, outlining interest and capacity to organise the Congress. Letters should be addressed to [email protected].
FIATA will evaluate bids based on several key factors, including:
- Ease of accessibility to the venue;
- Visa and entry requirements for international participants;
- Safety and security of the location;
- Opportunities for business and logistics development in the region;
- Incentives offered by the venue and local authorities;
- Previous experience hosting large-scale international events;
- Active participation in FIATA’s activities.
Additional guidance for the preparation of full bids will be provided following receipt of the Letters of Intent.
Hosting the 2029 FIATA World Congress offers a unique opportunity to showcase regional expertise, enhance international visibility and foster new business connections - positioning the host territory as a leading global logistics hub.
Further information and enquiries may be directed to [email protected].
International Trade and Law: Advancing Legal Certainty with the NCD Convention
On 20 November, FIATA’s Legal Services Director, Ms Andrea Tang, co-hosted a special workshop with Mr Murat Seitnepesov, President of the Greater Caspian Association, at the European Silk Road Summit in Milan. The session focused on the growing relevance of negotiable cargo documents and the practical opportunities they offer for Silk Road trade. The workshop underlined the pivotal role of multimodal negotiable transport documents, such as the FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (FBL), in supporting reliable East-West trade flows. It also highlighted the opportunities arising from the upcoming United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Negotiable Cargo Documents (NCD) Convention. Despite the Silk Road’s prominence in recent years, driven by strong demand for resilient multimodal links amid continued supply chain volatility, inefficiencies and legal fragmentation still hinder its full potential. The NCD Convention, expected to be adopted for signature at the end of the year, will provide an opt-in harmonised global framework for the use of negotiable transport documents, both in paper and electronic form, across multimodal and unimodal operations. For Silk Road stakeholders, this new international legal framework offers concrete benefits, including reduced trade friction, smoother cross-border operations, enhanced digitalisation, and greater legal certainty.
The FIATA FBL and its electronic version, the eFBL, remain the only globally recognised multimodal negotiable cargo documents and are the first global negotiable cargo documents that fall within the scope of the NCD Convention. Their relevance for East-West corridors continues to grow, especially in complex, multi-jurisdictional environments. In late 2024, the eFBL was successfully tested in two fully digital, real-life transactions along key Eurasian routes, clearly demonstrating gains in speed, security and operational efficiency. Mr Seitnepesov shared concrete operational perspectives during the workshop, presenting the experience of a recent test transaction using the eFBL for the transport of urea from Turkmenistan to Romania, which showcased the benefits of using a single digital multimodal document compared to traditional paper documents, which enabled rapid handover, trust and security, seamless verification, and smooth bank financing. These advantages are particularly significant for landlocked countries and regions dependent on inland and multimodal transport solutions, such as those along the Silk Road. The NCD Convention is therefore set to be a key driver for digital trade connectivity and trade facilitation in such regions, and participants were strongly encouraged to advocate for its adoption by UN member states to accelerate its implementation to support global trade and market access opportunities for actors all around the world.
For more information about the NCD Convention, visit FIATA’s dedicated communication.
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