Iv.Officers of the Meeting

THIRD CIP MEETING: Final Report
I. BACKGROUND
The Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP) is a committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) set up in accordance with Resolution AG/RES. 1573 (XXVIII-0/98) of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), pursuant to Articles 77 and 93 of the OAS Charter, and Articles 5 and 15 of the CIDI Statute.
The purpose of the Committee is to serve as the member states’ permanent inter-American forum working for strengthening cooperation in the field of port sector development, with the participation and active cooperation of the private sector.
The second meeting of the Committee, held in San José, Costa Rica in 2001, issued Resolution CIDI/CIP/RES.33 (II-01) in which it decided to hold its third meeting in Mexico in 2003. According to Article 5 of the CIP’s Rules of Procedure, the Committee will hold a regular meeting every two years.
By Resolution CECIP/RES.13 (IV-02) approved in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2002, the CIP Executive Board decided that the meeting would take place in September 2003. The chair of the Executive Board, in conjunction with the Secretariat, prepared the draft agenda. The Rules of Procedure of the Inter-American Committee on Ports provided a framework of rules for the meeting.
II.PLACE AND DATE
The Third Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP) took place at the Hyatt Hotel in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico from September 9 to 13, 2003.

III.AGENDA

The agenda appears in document CIDI/CIP/doc.112/03 and contains the following items:
1.Approval of the agenda and ratification of other agreements adopted by the Heads of Delegations at the preliminary session
2.Report of the Chair of the Executive Board
3.Report of the CIP Secretariat
4.Report of the Chair of the Technical Advisory Group on Port Operations
5.Report of the Chair of the Technical Advisory Group on Port Security
6.Report of the Chair of the Technical Advisory Group on Navigation Safety and Environmental Protection
7.Evaluation of the Technical Advisory Groups
8.Plan of Action of the CIP for 2004-2007
Reforms and modernization of the port systems
Control and participation of the State
Integral port security
Excellence on port management
Port environmental protection
Port facilitation and the logistics chain
Ports and the tourism industry
Port technology
Development of the fluvial and lacustrine ports
Port-City relation
Development of the human potential
International Cooperation
9.Status of the Agreement Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Inter-AmericanPort Authorities
10.Proposal on reforms to the rules of procedure of the CIP
11.Proposal on the CIP magazine
12.Proposal on the payment of an admission fee by guests to the CIP meetings
13.Status of the SpecialPort Program 2002-2003
14.Budget and financing of the Special Port Program 2004-2005
15.Election of the Executive Board of the CIP: 2003-2007 Term
16.Structure of the Executive Board: Subcommittees and their integration
17.Creation of the Technical Advisory Groups, 2004-2005 Term: Chairmanship election and integration of each one
18.Date and Place of the Fourth Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Ports
19.Date and Place of the Fifth Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Ports
20.Report of the Secretariat on credentials
21.Consideration of resolution proposals
22.Other issues

IV.OFFICERS OF THE MEETING

Chair : César Patricio Reyes (Mexico)
First Vice-Chair : Juan Rusque (Chile)
Second Vice-Chair : Paul-Emile Drapeau (Canada)
Secretary : Carlos M. Gallegos (OAS)
V.PARTICIPANTS
Delegations from the following member countries participated in the meeting:Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, United States, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The delegation of Spain attended as an OAS Permanent Observer, along with experts from international organizations and special guests. The list of participants appears in Appendix A to this Report (document CIDI/CIP/doc.111/03 rev.1).
VI.DOCUMENTS
The list of documents for the meeting appears in Appendix B to this Report (document CIDI/CIP/doc.110/03 rev.1).
VII.PROCEEDINGS
In the course of the meeting, a preliminary session, an inaugural session, five plenaries, and a closing session were held.
Preliminary Session
This session began at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 10, 2003. It was opened by the chair of the Executive Board and the principal representative of the Argentine Delegation, Luis A. Diez. After the Secretariat verified the required quorum, the meeting proceeded to elect César Patricio Reyes of Mexico as chair of the meeting, whereupon he continued conducting the meeting. The purpose of this session was to reach a preliminary agreement on various organizational aspects of the meeting. The following issues were discussed.
-Election of officers
The principal representative of the Mexican delegation, César Patricio Reyes, Coordinator of Ports and the Merchant Marine, was elected chair of the meeting by acclamation. The head of the Chilean delegation, Juan Rusque, was elected first vice-chair, and the head of the Canadian delegation, Paul-Emile Drapeau, was elected to serve as second vice chair.
-Final Agenda of the Meeting
The agenda for the meeting was adopted, and appears in Appendix III to this Report in the document CIDI/CIP/doc.112/03.
-Schedule and Duration of the Meeting
It was decided that the meeting would run no longer than Friday, September 13, 2003. A working timetable of 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. was established, and the schedule appearing in document CIDI/CIP/doc.113/03 was approved.
-Order of Precedence
The same order of precedence established in Article 13 of the CIP Rules of Procedure was approved: continuing in Spanish alphabetical order proceeding from the country holding the presidency (Mexico).

- Appointment of Subcommittees

The Secretary of the Committee recalled that in accordance with Articles 27 and 28 of the CIP Rules of Procedure, every Committee meeting may set up working groups or subcommittees to study specific issues. In view of the importance of the subjects to be discussed, the chair suggested that it would be appropriate to establish the following six subcommittees. (1) Subcommittee on General Matters chaired by Argentina, and made up of the delegations of Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, United States, Honduras, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to coordinate proposed resolutions, agreements, or documents for consideration by the plenary. (2) Subcommittee on Budget and Financing chaired by Uruguay, and made up of the delegations of Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Saint Lucia, to analyze the budget proposal and contributions. (3) TAG Evaluation Subcommittee chaired by the United States, and made up of the delegations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, to analyze the TAGs proposals during the 2004-2005 period. (4) Subcommittee on Election and Voting chaired by Costa Rica and made up of the delegations of Chile and the Dominican Republic, to supervise the executive board elections. (5) Subcommittee on Credentials chaired by Haiti and made up of the delegations of Bolivia and Venezuela, to verify the credentials of the representatives of member countries. (6) Subcommittee on Style made up of the delegations of Brazil, Canada, United States, and Peru, to verify that the resolutions and agreements of the meeting are consistent in the four official languages of the Organization.
-Agreement on the Deadline for Presentation of Proposed Resolutions
Thursday, September 12, 2003 at 6:00 p.m. was established as the deadline for presentation of resolution proposals, agreements, and other documents on the various topics to be discussed. The Chair indicated that all proposed resolutions should be submitted to the Secretary and that resolutions entailing expenditures should include specific reference to the source of financing.

-Working Method

It was decided that the meetings would be held consecutively.-Other Issues
There were none.
Inaugural Session
It was opened at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 10, 2003. The session was chaired by Pedro Cerizola y Weber, Secretary of Communications and Transportation of Mexico. The following persons were also at the head table: Patricio Patrón, Governor of the State of Yucatán; Ana Rosa Payán, President of the Municipal Council of Mérida; César Patricio Reyes, Coordinator of Ports and the Merchant Marine of Mexico; Carlos M. Gallegos, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the OAS; and National Senators Eric Rubio and José Castañeda.
César Patricio Reyes began by welcoming the participants and expressing his gratitude for the designation of Mexico as the host of this CIP meeting. He said that this Committee was combining the efforts of high port officials throughout the Americas and various international organizations, with a view to creating a space for circulating proposals on analysis of the port system, in order to strengthen cooperation among the peoples of the Americas and the world. He expressed his best wishes for a successful meeting and highlighted the need to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation among the nations of the Americas.
The next speaker, Carlos M. Gallegos transmitted greetings on behalf of OAS Secretary General César Gaviria and praised the CIP as the only inter-governmental organ for cooperation in the development and modernization of ports. He reflected on issues relevant to the future of the port industry in the hemisphere: terrorism and port security, especially as a result of the provisions adopted by the IMO and United States maritime security law calling for urgent strengthening of maritime port security and on investment channeling to meet the needs of institutions and the market in this area. He proposed that a hemispheric conference on port security be convened in the coming months to evaluate the status of ports and their ability to deal with these challenges. He highlighted the need to maintain a balance between security and efficiency. He pointed out the possible negative impact on ports as a result of the stalled WTO trade negotiations in Cancun, the setbacks in the FTAA, and the lagging growth in hemispheric and world trade. He then turned to other issues included in the CIP Plan of Action for the next four years, including port modernization, environmental protection, costs and tariffs, port technology, port facilitation, logistics, quality control, investment in human resources and international cooperation, and the need to strengthen intelligent alliances with the private sector and generate new projects with other international cooperation agencies, among others. Finally, he urged participants to offer their best efforts to ensure the success of this meeting (document CIDI/CIP/doc.134/03).
After that, Patricio Patrón, cordially and warmly welcomed the participants, referring to the Mayan roots of the Yucatan and its glorious history as a center of the culture of ancient civilizations. He mentioned the efforts by the Yucatan and Mexican governments to seek options for the development of regional ports. In addition, he made reference to maritime transport as the key to development of trade and tourism and invited participants to enjoy the beauty and offerings of the region.
Finally, the Secretary of Communications and Transportation, Pedro Cerizola y Weber, said that it was an honor for the government and people of Mexico to receive such illustrious visitors. He transmitted the greetings and welcome of Mexican President Vicente Fox. He highlighted the importance of the meeting’s agenda, and the valuable work that the OAS Inter-American Committee on Ports and its predecessor, the Inter-American Port Conference, had accomplished. In addition, he said that the Inter-American Committee on Ports would be reviewing the work of the Executive Board, Subcommittees, and Technical Advisory Groups during the period 1999-2003 and would be discussing and making important decisions on the 2004-2007 Plan of Action. He then took the opportunity to comment on certain results that show the development and dynamic nature of the maritime port sector and the merchant marine in Mexico during the first three years of the current administration. In comparing figures for cargo shipments in 1995-1997 and 2001-2003, an increase of 22.8% was noted, and they are expected to attain 754.8 million tons by the end of 2003. Passenger transportation has grown from 17.7 million to 25 million in the respective time periods. As for movement of containers for the periods under comparison, an increase from 2.2 to 4.6 million TEUs was recorded. He further stated that one of the main objectives of the present administration is to reactivate the Mexican merchant marine, and reported that 138 ships had been placed under the Mexican flag from 2001 to 2003. He expressed his best wishes for a successful meeting, and concluded by officially declaring the meeting open.
First Plenary Session
It began at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 10, 2003, with César Patricio Reyes, delegate of Mexico, serving as chairman. The following items were considered:
-Approval of the agenda and ratification of other agreements adopted by the Heads of Delegations at the Preliminary Session (item 1 on the agenda).
The Committee so agreed.
-Report of the Chair of the Executive Board(item 2 on the agenda)
The Chairman of the Executive Board, Luis A. Deiz, the principal representative of Argentina, presented a report on the activities of the Executive Board from September 2001 to date. His report included the following points. (1) Follow-up on integration processes and their effect on ports. Information on commercial advances in regional and sub-regional integration plans was obtained and disseminated, and the consequent increasingly urgent need to modernize and develop port systems in the hemisphere was highlighted. (2) Relations with international organizations. An expansion and strengthening of these relations was seen, through participation in the meeting of the Western Hemisphere Transport Initiative (WHTI) in Mexico, and work with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and others. (3) Port cooperation. It was expanded with the signature of an agreement with Puertos del Estado de España on a technical and legal cooperation and training program to promote the development of port systems in Latin American and Caribbean countries, and the sharing of successful Spanish experiences. At the same time, cooperation with various organizations, including AAPA, CAN, CEPA, COCATRAM, and IMO, was pursued with the organization of special events on port themes. He also referred to participation in and activities stemming from the Second Ibero-American Meeting on Port Technology Exchange held in Brazil. (4) Participation of the private sector. He highlighted the increased participation of this sector in the work of the CIP, and especially the Technical Advisory Groups. (5) Port security. He indicated that it was urgent for the CIP to pursue its work on the subject, in view of the international legal framework adopted. He highlighted the legal provisions adopted by the IMO to take effect on July 1, 2004 with a view to strengthening maritime security and preventing and reducing terrorist acts in the international maritime transport process. He also referred to the Container Security Initiative developed by the United States Customs Service, and port commitments based on it. He highlighted the CIP’s role in the OAS and their collaboration in the development of ports in the hemisphere. He ended his remarks by reporting on progress achieved in modernization and reform of his country’s port system, and especially the Port of Buenos Aires.
-Report of the CIP Secretariat(item 3 on the agenda)
The Executive Secretary, Dr. Carlos M. Gallegos, presented his report on the activities carried out during the period September 2001-2003 (document CIDI/CIP/doc.125). He indicated that most activities were focused on achieving the following key CIP objectives. (1) Strengthening the inter-American port dialogue. This objective was fully realized through the planning, organization, and convening of the following meetings: three Executive Board meetings (Santo Domingo in December 2001, Montevideo in December 2002, and Merida in September 2003). Five meetings of the Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs): the TAG on Port Operations (meeting in Montevideo in December 2002 and in Merida in September 2003), the TAG on Port Security (meeting in Montevideo in December 2002 and in Merida in September 2003), and the TAG on Navigation Safety and Environmental Protection (meeting in Montevideo in December 2002). Seven meetings of the executive subcommittees: three of the Subcommittee on Policy and Coordination (in Montevideo in December 2002, and in WashingtonD.C. in March 2002 and 2003), and the Subcommittees on Port Administration and on Training met twice each (with both meeting in Santo Domingo in December 2001 and in Montevideo in December 2002). Finally, the Third Meeting of CIP was planned, organized, and carried out in Merida in September 2003. The Secretariat planned, organized, and carried out a total of 16 meetings over the two years in an effort to strengthen the hemispheric dialogue on ports. (2) Cooperation for inter-American port development: progress was made in the following areas. (i) Cooperation and Mutual Assistance Agreement among Inter-AmericanPort Authorities. Thirteen countries decided to become members. (ii) Training of human resources. As a CIP priority activity, the following courses were held: Port security, Barbados (2002 and 2003), Lima (2002 and 2003), Montevideo (2002), Buenos Aires (2003), Guatemala (2002), and Santo Domingo (2002 and 2003); Port management, Madrid (2002 and 2003), Miami (2003); Engineering, Santander (2002 y 2003); Tariffs, Lima (2002); Efficiency and Security, Montevideo (2002); and Port concessions, Mérida (2003). Reference was also made to the additional contributions of resources from the following organizations in support of this type of activities: the United States Maritime Administration, Barbados Port Authority, and Dominican Port Authority, Uruguay Ports National Authority, National Port Commission of Guatemala, Ministry of Transportation of Peru, Puertos del Estado and the Port of Santander both in Spain, Port of Miami, and the Fundación Instituto Portuario de Estudios y Cooperación (IPEC) of Valencia, among others. (iii) Specialized technical assistance offered to the International Maritime University of Panama (UMIP), to the Peruvian government and business groups on preparation of their ports law, to the Port Authority of the Dominican Republic in preparing profiles for training projects on port concessions and supply of specialized information on port security, to the offices of the chairs of the Technical Advisory Committees (Secretariat of Transportation of Argentina, United States Maritime Administration, and the General Directorate of the Ports of Mexico) in organizing their meetings, preparing reports, follow-up on associate members, and production of informative material, to port enterprises in Nicaragua and El Salvador, with technical options for the bi-national committee on transshipment, to the United States Maritime Administration, on the implementation of the Inter-American Program on Training in Port Security in 2002 and 2003 and preparing a report on the 2002 training questionnaire. (iv) Specialized information on and promotion of the CIP, through production of reports on the above-mentioned meetings, studies, and technical documents, reproduction of materials of interest, and a promotional brochure on CIP 2002-2003. In addition, an information bulletin is published periodically, including information on the Committee and its forums. The web page, the portal of the CIP, compiles all the information on the Committee and its ports. Finally, the Secretariat is stepping up its communication with users throughout the world, through the following e-mail addresses: , . (3) Intensify relations with other international cooperation organizations and agencies and with the private sector, with a view to reinforcing and improving efforts developed in conjunction with those sectors to rationalize resources and allocate them more effectively to cooperation projects of mutual interest. (i) In this context, joint and support activities were carried out with the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD) of the OAS, the Association of Port Authorities of the Americas (AAPA), the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), the Caribbean Ship Owners Association (CSA), the Association of Customs Professionals of America (ASAPRA), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), World Bank, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Andean Aquatic Transport Committee (CATA) of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), the Conference of Customs Directors of the Western Hemisphere, the International Conference on Port Training, the Central American Maritime Transport Council (COCATRAM), the Initiative of the Western Hemisphere Transport Initiative (WHTI), the Ibero-American Logistics Institute, the Meeting of Port Businessmen of the Central American Isthmus (REPICA), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), among others. (ii) The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the IACD, CIP, and Puertos del Estado of Spain was highlighted, to transfer Spanish port development technology to Latin American ports through the technique of best practices (document CIDI/CIP/doc.131/03). (iii) Relations with the private business sector were considerably strengthened, and this is reflected in the inclusion of associate members in CIP’s Technical Advisory Groups, and in their direct support for our cooperation activities. In this connection, the Secretariat focused its action on supporting the extraordinary effort conducted by the offices of the chairs of the TAGs to attract new associate members and to encourage the private sector to make valuable technical contributions to the work of the CIP. The following are highlighted from the list: Port of Bahía Blanca (Argentina), General Port Administration (Argentina), Mollendo Equipment (Argentina), Foundation of the Work Safety Institute (Chile), Stevedoring Services of America (United States), Maritime Security Council (United States), Port of Texas (United States), Port of Miami (United States), Great Lakes (United States), Port Security Program (Guatemala), ICAVE (Mexico), NAVEGA (Mexico), INDESMAR (Peru), TISUR (Peru), Port of Maracaibo (Venezuela), and Abarloa (Mexico). (4) Administration of the Secretariat office, collection of country contributions, and budget execution. The level of contributions has declined annually and contributions are made with notable delays. This year, the income-received amounts to 41% of the amount budgeted. The cumulative debt of member countries vis-à-vis the CIP is 80% of the annual budget. As a result, the program of cooperation activities has been adversely affected. Therefore, to rectify this situation, it is essential to adopt measures to encourage timely contributions from the parties, and to obtain new sources of income for the Secretariat.