In 2013, the Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) proposed the conduction of the “Programme for the Creation of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Digital and Collaborative Ports: towards strengthening port logistic communities, service standards and technological innovation for a globalized, logistically competitive and sustainable foreign trade”. Thus, SELA followed its commitment to supporting its Member States in their efforts and initiatives towards facilitating trade and transport, in order to provide the region with a new system of inter-institutional collaboration and specialized technical cooperation, aimed at strengthening public policies for the national port sector and the implementation of technical recommendations at the local level, in every port system, trying to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of the port logistics chain.

The Digital and Collaborative Ports Network Programme, which since its inception has received the technical and financial support of CAF-Development Bank of Latin America through three non-refundable technical cooperation agreements, has undertaken in its first two phases, between 2014 and 2016, the task of strengthening various aspects of logistics and competitiveness at the institutional level, with port logistic communities, regional public-private partnerships on logistics and logistics national plans; at the operational level, with best practices for synchronizing ship-port-land operations; and at the technological level, with collaborative information systems, such as Port Single Windows (VUP), logistics coordination systems and logistic modules in interoperation with Foreign Trade Single Windows (VUCE). These activities have been aimed at implementing measures and tools proposed by the “Reference Model for the Competitiveness of the Port Logistics Chain”, which serves as the driving force and main technical instrument of cohesion for the parties involved in the Network.

To date, the following port systems are linked to the Programme: Manzanillo, Veracruz and Altamira, in Mexico; Buenaventura and Cartagena, in Colombia; Callao and Paita, in Peru; San Antonio and Valparaiso, in Chile; Balboa and Colon, in Panama; Port of Spain, in Trinidad and Tobago; Puerto Limón, in Costa Rica; Guayaquil, in Ecuador; and Montevideo, in Uruguay. Phase III, which will run until mid-2018, is expected to link the ports of Lazaro Cardenas, in Mexico; Kingston in Jamaica; Lisas, in Trinidad and Tobago; Barranquilla, in Colombia; Buenos Aires, in Argentina; and Santa Catarina, in Brazil, with which we will be working with 12 countries and 21 port systems of the Latin American and Caribbean region.

As part of the development of the Programme, the FIRST MEETING OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN LOGISTIC PORT COMMUNITIES was held in July 2016 inPanama City, with the participation of 15 port systems that collaborate with the Programme and more than 50 guests from the region.

Phase III of the Programme (2017-2018) aims to consolidate and expand the Regional Programme for the Creation of the Network of Digital and Collaborative Ports, launched in 2014 and continued in 2015-2016, so as to advance in the achievement of the ultimate goal of effectively creating the Network and replicate the recommendations for facilitating and encouraging collaborative innovation projects in countries, port communities and logistics port corridors in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Thus, with the conduction of the II MEETING OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN LOGISTIC PORT COMMUNITIES, provided for in the Work Programme of SELA for the year 2017, this organization, with the cooperation of CAF-Development Bank of Latin America, goes a step forward towards the materialization of the Network of Digital and Collaborative Ports in Latin America and the Caribbean and responds to the approaches by participants of the first meeting.

Following are the specific objectives of the II Meeting: 

1. Develop presentations and round table discussions on thematic blocks dealing with opinions, experiences and trends in strategy and governance, integration of processes in the port logistics chain, benchmark and indicators, management of change and community ICTs.
2. Gain knowledge about the status of ICT solutions and services implemented in world reference port systems, along with lessons learned and recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean.
3. Present to those associated with the Digital and Collaborative Ports Network Programme the transitional organizational structure and the work plan proposed in the context of Phase III of the Digital and Collaborative Ports Network Programme. In addition, this meeting aims to develop a collaborative workshop on strategic definitions (mission and vision) and prioritization of the action plan for the transition of the Network.
4. Visit logistic and port facilities of our partners in Cartagena, in order to gain knowledge about their progress and challenges vis-à-vis the future scenario of freight traffic in the Caribbean and foreign trade in Colombia. 

In addition, as a prelude to the conduction of the II MEETING, the FIRST SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM ON PORT LOGISTICS CHAINS will be held on 26 July 2017. This event is organized by the Grupo de Apoyo Metodológico (GAM) of the port city of Cartagena and aims to develop an open debate on the importance of networks in scientific regional port logistics collaboration and the dissemination of applied research projects in port logistics chains.