The Spanish ports of Seville, Santander, and A Coruña are in Buenos Aires this week as key participants in the International Workshop on Port-City Relations. This initiative, organized by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in collaboration with the General Administration of Ports of Argentina (AGP), the Port Authority of Santander, and the International Association for Port-City Collaboration (RETE), runs until Friday and brings together representatives from ports across Latin America and the Caribbean to promote dialogue on the future of port environments in their relationship with cities.
The Spanish delegation includes Rafael Carmona Ruiz, Vice President of RETE and President of the Seville Port Authority, who, during the event’s opening, emphasized the importance of “fostering solid integration between ports and cities to enhance economic development, sustainability, and urban quality of life.”
Throughout the week, participants will share experiences and best practices on topics like governance, port culture, and sustainability, with notable presentations on port-city relations from Seville, Santander, and A Coruña. The event also includes technical visits to port facilities and discussion sessions where concrete cases will be analyzed to propose solutions to the challenges faced by Latin American ports.
This workshop is part of the organizers’ efforts to establish an international collaboration network, committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and an innovative vision in the port sector. The case studies developed during this event will be reviewed for publication in Portus, RETE’s scientific journal, creating a platform for knowledge and strategy exchange among ports and cities worldwide.
The panel of instructors includes Martín Fernández Prado, President of the Port Authority of A Coruña and Board Member of RETE; Rafael Carmona Ruiz, President of the Port Authority of Seville and Vice President of RETE for Spain; representing the Port Authority of Santander, José Ramón Ruiz Manso, Head of the Innovation Department, and Francisco Javier Álvarez, Head of the General Administration and Legal Services Department; Gonzalo Ayala, Head of the Latin American Port Management Program at UNCTAD; and representing the General Administration of Ports of Argentina, Marcelo Teper, Director of the National Port Training Center, Juan Ignacio García Chicote, Deputy Director of Port-City Relations; Ricardo Ferreyra, Director of Commercial Development; and Ariel Romeo Cherubini, Director of Infrastructure and Port Development.
