BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:unctad.org BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6ad73f1fcc148 DTSTART:20211215T140000Z SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE DTEND:20211215T170000Z LOCATION:Geneva\, Switzerland SUMMARY:Ad hoc expert meeting on the maritime supply chain crisis CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Cornerstones for an action plan to lower freight rates\, ensure connectivity\, and build a more sustainable and resilient future\n\nThe C OVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to maritime transport \, leading directly to historically high container shipping freight rates\ , unpredictable schedules\, port congestion and supply chain bottlenecks. Since the second half of 2020\, there has been a dramatic increase in ship ping freight rates (containers and bulk)\, including a surge in surcharges and fees. These soaring costs are a challenge especially for smaller and vulnerable economies.\n\nThe nascent economic recovery that started in lat e 2020 has been hindered by the supply chain bottlenecks and inefficiencie s and is threatened by the high shipping rates that are described by many in the sector as unsustainable. The rebound in trade\, combined with pande mic-induced restrictions in logistics operations has led to shortages in e quipment and containers\, less reliable services\, congested ports and lon ger delays and dwell times.\n\nThe soaring freight rates\, along with surc harges and fees\, have been a challenge especially for smaller and vulnera ble economies which have less policy space to address the maritime logisti cs disruption. Leaders from these economies have raised concerns about inc reased prices\, food security as well as the availability of essential pro ducts such as medicines and medical supplies\, as this could develop into an existential threat if it is not managed properly and as soon as possibl e.\n\nThe pandemic has accelerated the growing demand from e-commerce\, an d at the same promoted further digitalisation. Technological advances have been aimed at helping the shipping and ports industry to continue operati ons while minimising interaction and physical contact. The future demand/s upply balance will also be impacted by regulatory requirements to drive th e decarbonisation of shipping\, the cost of which will inevitably translat e into higher shipping rates for shippers and\, ultimately\, consumers.\n\ nProgramme\n\nThe Ad Hoc Expert Meeting will be preceded by the presentati on of the Review of Maritime Transport 2021 (from 10.00-11.30). \nThe co ntent of the Review sets the scene for the substantive discussions for the Ad Hoc Expert Meeting.\n\nIn the first session of the Ad Hoc Expert Meeti ng\, the UNCTAD Secretariat will provide an introduction by recalling what the fundamental determinants of maritime transport costs are and reportin g on recent UNCTAD analysis regarding freight rates and transport cost dev elopments over time.\n\nIn the second session\, experts will make very sho rt interventions and focus on what policymakers can do to help reduce cong estion and high freight rates.\n\nIn the third session\, experts will disc uss how UNCTAD can support its members in responding to current and possib le future maritime supply chain crises.\n\nQuestions for experts\n\n\nWhat are the main factors that are driving the current supply chain crisis\, i ncluding increasing freight rates\, port congestion and supply chain bottl enecks\, and what are the implications for developing countries?\nWhat can policy makers do to help reduce freight rates (and the burden of excessiv e freight rates on vulnerable economies and small players across the marit ime supply chain) and improve connectivity in the short term? What are lon g-term policy options to enhance the resilience of the maritime supply cha in\, including in view of longer-term industry developments such as the en ergy transition?\nHow can UNCTAD support its members in responding to the maritime supply chain crisis\, mitigate the negative impact on developing countries\, and build a more sustainable and resilient maritime transport system?\n\n\nThese questions are not exhaustive and very much interlinked. During the meeting new questions are likely to emerge. It will be of part icular interest to learn and exchange views about the maritime supply chai n crisis and impact\, already existing research\, methodological approache s\, data requirements and sources\, and time frames. More importantly\, it would be of interest to hear from experts about existing mechanisms and a pproaches\, including from various sectors\, that are used to mitigate/all eviate the impact of increased costs\, prices and generally disruptive sho cks and help build more resilient sector.\n\nExperts will be invited to ma ke short and concise contributions of five minutes per intervention\, so a s to allow for sufficient time for discussion.\n\nFollowing the meeting\, UNCTAD will prepare an outcome document focusing above all on the policy r ecommendations\, with an action plan for members states\, the internationa l community and UNCTAD. This action plan will lay the ground for subsequen t global and regional trade logistics forum.\n\n \n\nWatch event recordin g\nhttps://youtu.be/1lSKCBgMFe0"\; target="\;_blank\n\nView meetin g on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/meeting/ad-hoc-expert-meeting-maritime -supply-chain-crisis DTSTAMP:20261020T101455Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR