The Fifth meeting of the Working Group on Dry Ports in 2023 emphasized the need for enhanced practical cooperation between dry port operators located in different countries, including the establishment of a dedicated platform for the coordination and exchange of relevant information on the operations of dry ports, such as a multi-stakeholder forum on dry ports.
Such a platform could further increase the practical benefits of participating in the Intergovernmental Agreement on Dry Ports, including:
· Finding a systematic and practical way to engage dry port operators, including from the private sector, in practical discussions;
· Considering granting special facilitation measures to the goods originating from or destined to dry ports included in the Agreement, through a special regime accorded by the Governments concerned, a specific collaboration between the market players, some specific measures, as mutually agreed location codes, or other means;
· Continuing the policy advocacy in support of the greater understanding of the role of dry ports in sustainable transport operations;
· Organizing an exchange of best practices and synergies between dry ports and suitable maritime ports to optimize their performance.
Under the project on “Strengthening performance, interconnections and multimodal network integration of dry ports in the Asia-Pacific region” , the ESCAP secretariat is organizing the multi-stakeholder Forum of Dry Ports Operators, Logistics and Multimodal Transport Service Providers which could bring together the representatives of government entities in charge of dry port and multimodal transport development, as well as representatives of transport industry, to discuss the matters of practical operation of dry ports and multimodal transport in the region.
The Forum will be held in Bangkok on 26 and 27 March 2025 in a hybrid format, with possibilities of both in-person or online participation. The Forum will be conducted in the Chinese, English and Russian languages.
