Success for FIATA-UIC multimodal corridor webinar, plus FIATA Diploma and BIFA News!
FIATA-UIC held webinar on corridor development in the Latin America region
On Tuesday 14 February, FIATA held a webinar focused on ‘Multimodal Corridor Development in the Latin American region’, jointly organised with the International Union of Railways (UIC). The webinar, which gathered more than 150 participants from Latin America and other regions, aimed at understanding rail transport and multimodal corridors throughout the region. FIATA Working Group Rail Chair, Ole A Hagen and Cynthia Perisic, FIATA ABIA Chair, ALOG moderated the event.
Dr Stéphane Graber, FIATA Director General, gave a keynote speech highlighting the global role of FIATA in bringing all relevant stakeholders together. He highlighted the fact that FIATA has been active in providing practical freight forwarding perspectives regarding the development of the Trans-Caspian corridor and is perfectly placed to leverage expertise, practical insights, as well as the best practices for the development of the Latin American transport corridors through knowledge sharing and engagement with industry stakeholders.
Logistics and transport corridors were defined as the drivers of economic and social development, and multimodality was presented as a solution to several current and future supply chain challenges, with an important role played by rail in solving many regional challenges. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe representative Roel Janssens and Miryam Saade Hazin from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean brought policy perspectives, and shared on what can be learned from other corridor developments worldwide. The successful cases of logistics corridors as well as future projects from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Panama were presented and debated by experts from government and private sector.
Among the main challenges, it was noted that:
- the profitability of the rail sector in Latin America is more challenging for SMEs and smaller nations
- road transport prevails and is the main competitor to rail, with a need to reconsider the concept of multimodal transport, connectivity and network construction in Latin America.
FIATA’s actions to support the industry
This successful event enabled a broadening of the focus of FIATA Working Group Rail to encompass the region of Latin America and new potential partners in the region, and served to continue the long-standing collaboration between FIATA and UIC.
FIATA will further support its members in the Latin America region by information sharing and engagement with stakeholders, and continue the discussion at the Market Place Seminar 2023 to be organised in Europe, and a potential edition of 2024 Market Place Seminar in Latin America.
Just one month to go before the start of the FIATA HQ Meeting!
From Saturday 18 March to Tuesday 21 March, FIATA hosts its annual HQ meeting to bring together its members and delegates from various parts of the world to discuss industry trends, network, and address common issues.
Attending the annual HQ meeting will provide members with an opportunity to get up-to-date on the latest developments in the freight forwarding industry, learn about new regulations and laws, and hear about new technology and innovations. It is also a chance to build relationships with other members, share best practices, and discuss common challenges faced by the industry. By attending the annual HQ meeting, members can strengthen their knowledge and skills, enhance their business opportunities, and contribute to the growth of the freight forwarding community.
Registration for the FIATA HQ Meeting is open until 5 March 2023. Get all the details at https://fiata.org/fiata-hq-meeting/.
Register here to the Geneva FIATA HQ Meeting
See break-down of upcoming HQ Meeting topics
FIATA Diplomas: Moving Forward with Revised Validation/Revalidation Model
In the field of vocational training, FIATA has received a strong reputation by producing a trained workforce that meets global standards. Today, almost 50 Association members deliver the courses leading to the FIATA Diplomas in Freight Forwarding, and about 15 Association members deliver courses for the FIATA Higher Diploma in Supply Management.
To uphold the exceptional quality of FIATA Diplomas and to reduce the administrative burden for Association members, a revision of the current validation/revalidation process is envisaged. By employing a successful strategy, the FIATA Logistics Institute (FLI) pinpointed key competencies and will suggest reducing the number of submitted annexes while improving data collection effectiveness. The implementation of the revised validation/revalidation model could be scheduled in the Autumn of 2023 after validation by the FIATA Presidency.
Nominate your delegates for FIATA HQ Regions Meetings!
The 2023 FIATA HQ Meeting is just around the corner, and we would like to remind you to nominate your delegates for the FIATA Regions meetings. If you have received an email from the FIATA HQ ([email protected]) to confirm your delegates, please get in touch with us as soon as possible and we will send you the link to the online form. We look forward to sharing the Call of Meeting of the FIATA Region Meeting with your delegate!
FIATA congratulates BIFA on successful BIFA Freight Service Awards and welcomes Steve Parker as new BIFA DG
FIATA congratulates BIFA, its largest Association member and contributor, for the unprecedented success of the BIFA Awards 2022. This event, organised for 34 years, broke the records in January with 550 guests in attendance, which included the FIATA Director General, to celebrate the finalists and winners of the 2022 Awards in no less than 11 categories.
Emerging from the COVID pandemic, the British freight forwarding industry was excited to attend this vibrant sold-out ceremony. It was also the opportunity for the immediate past Director General of BIFA, Robert Keen, who is also FIATA Secretary General, to wholeheartedly thank the community for their great support during the past 8 years of his position, before passing the “baton” to another well-known figure of FIATA, Steve Parker, the Chair of FIATA CAI, who has become the new BIFA Director General.
Robert Keen will remain active with BIFA and support the new Director General in the future, both continuing close links with FIATA. The FIATA DG also enjoyed his time meeting with FIATA Past President Brian J. Kelleher (1995-1997), who continues to be highly committed to FIATA and who shared with the DG some great memories and promising ideas for FIATA’s future.
The BIFA Freight Service Awards Ceremony, Right: Rachel Morley, BIFA Chair, and Robert Keen, then-BIFA Director General
FIATA to participate in ICC Future for Trade Event 30 March - Mark your diaries!
The inaugural ICC Future Trade Forum convenes business leaders, policymakers, technologists and other industry movers who are shaping the global trade ecosystem into its digital, sustainable, inclusive future.
The Forum offers both birds-eye and ground-level views of the evolving trade landscape as well as platforms to engage and act on the key challenges and opportunities ahead. With its advisory networks, industry leaders and multilateral partners in attendance, the Forum will also feature a number of panel sessions, collaboration opportunities and program launches that will push the digital trade agenda forward.
FIATA’s Director General Dr Stéphane Graber will join renowned speakers from WTO, WCO, GS1 and many more, who will be sharing insightful industry topics at the event. The panel to look out for, in which FIATA will participate, is ‘'Digitalization on the Front Lines: Making impact in the SME sector”.
Join FIATA and other organisations as we shape the future of trade! For more information, log onto www.futuretradeforum.org.