Ports play a vital role in global trade and national economic development. They serve as gateways for international trade, facilitate industrial growth, and generate employment, making them indispensable to the economic and social development of nations. In the Asia-Pacific region, where more than half of global seaborne trade originates or is destined, ports are even more crucial as lifelines for regional trade, connectivity, and sustainable development.
With recent advances in digital technologies and innovation, including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and digital twins, ports are transforming into more sustainable, safe, and environmentally friendly hubs. At the same time, intensifying climate-related hazards are placing growing stress on port infrastructure. However, these advancements have largely benefited major ports in developed countries, while many ports across the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in developing countries, Small Island Developing States and archipelagic countries, continue to face challenges in accessing the benefits of digitalization, Physical AI and climate-resilient infrastructure.
To help close this gap, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is implementing, with the support of the Korea Ports and Harbours Association (KPHA), the project “Towards AI-Ready and Climate-Resilient Ports in Asia and the Pacific” (2026–2028). The project aims to promote the adoption of Physical AI and other digital technologies and to strengthen the climate resilience of ports, through a strategic framework for Physical AI adoption, a guideline on climate-responsive port design standards, and regional capacity-building activities.
The project builds on ESCAP’s earlier project “Bridging the Digitalization and Resilience Gap in Small Ports in the Asia-Pacific Region” (2024–2025), supported by KPHA and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea, which convened capacity-building workshops in Busan, Republic of Korea, in December 2024, and in Bangkok, Thailand, in December 2025. As the first capacity-building workshop under the new project, the Transport Division of ESCAP is pleased to announce the Capacity-Building Workshop on Port Digitalization and Resilience in the Asia-Pacific Region, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on 9–10 December 2026, in collaboration with KPHA and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea.
The workshop will further support member States in advancing port digitalization, including the adoption of Physical AI, and in strengthening the resilience of port infrastructure against climate change. It will feature presentations of key case studies, country reports, interactive discussions, and forward-looking strategies for regional cooperation. The event will be organized in a hybrid format, bringing together experts from relevant organizations, as well as national and international specialists in port digitalization and resilience.
Interested participants are kindly invited to register by 4 December 2026 at [registration link – tbc]. Registered participants will receive the updated programme and the online meeting link in due course.
For further information, please contact: Mr. Sooyeob Kim, Transport Division, ESCAP, Email: kim105@un.org