The FIATA-RAP Field Meeting, a prominent gathering of logistics professionals from the Asia-Pacific region and beyond hosted an impressive turnout of nearly 250 participants on 14 July 2023, in Da Nang, Vietnam. This highly anticipated event, a first after the pandemic, witnessed fruitful discussions and productive networking opportunities for international guests and local forwarding companies. The days ahead of the conference set the stage for the success of this high-level meeting, which included a meeting between the Vietnamese Prime Minister (PM) Phạm Minh Chính and FIATA’s President Ivan Petrov, accompanied by FIATA Director General Stéphane Graber and the Vietnamese Logistics Association (VLA) President Ông Lé Duy Hiêp and Vice Chair Ông Đào Trong Khoa. The meeting saw the proposal of national logistics policies sought by the forwarding sector, and the cooperation of the authorities in preparation of the 2025 FIATA World Congress in Hanoi, which is set to bring over 1000 participants from around the world to one of the largest logistics meetings worldwide. Preparations for the 2025 Congress were launched during the visit to Hanoi. The meeting with the PM facilitated constructive discussions on fostering collaboration between FIATA, VLA, and the Vietnamese government to drive the growth of the nation’s logistics sector. The Vietnamese PM noted the key role of FIATA for “always being an important bridge contributing to the promotion of the cooperation between the Vietnamese logistics service business community and the rest of the world”. He also highlighted his appreciation for FIATA for choosing Hanoi, Vietnam as the 2025 Congress host city. The Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, also engaged in productive conversations with the FIATA representatives and addressed the FIATA-RAP Field Meeting participants. Avenues for enhancing trade facilitation, promoting harmonisation of regulations, and boosting regional connectivity were exchanged upon. The Vice Chairman of Danang City People’s Committee, Mr Ho Ky Minh, greeted the FIATA representatives at the Mayor Hall and shared his vision of the city to contribute to Vietnam’s ambition to become a transhipment hub. UNESCAP, a longstanding collaborator of FIATA, hosted its ‘Regional Conference for Logistics Service Providers’ in conjunction with the FIATA-RAP Field Meeting. On 13 July, the UN body meeting saw up to 70 industry experts and practitioners share their insights on key issues including sustainable development, gender balance, digitalisation, disaster management and supply chain resilience. The takeaways from this conference will inform future strategies and initiatives aimed at driving positive change in the logistics landscape. This year’s FIATA-RAP Field Meeting and related interactions provided a platform to showcase ongoing work and significant outcomes on the implementation of the digital FIATA BL solution, a Global Programme for Air Cargo, facilitating recognition of ICAO-FIATA DG Certification, advocacy for data protection, sustainability, advanced cargo information and competition concerns in maritime transport. FIATA emphasised the need for active involvement of the region in various initiatives it championed during the supply chain crises surrounding the pandemic, to continue its work and harness the gains from such collective efforts. Within the framework of the meeting, Mr Yukki Hanafi, from ILFA, Indonesia, was re-elected by Region Asia-Pacific to serve again, and will be standing for formal re-election by the FIATA General Meeting in October at the 2023 FWC. Mr Li Zhimin of CIFA, China, was likewise re-elected by the Region to serve as Vice Chair, and awaits formal re-election in October. Their continued leadership and expertise will unite the region and help Associations harness the benefits of FIATA’s deliverables. Additionally, Bali emerged as the preferred location of the 2024 FIATA-RAP Field Meeting.
