2022 in short: Port-Cities leading the recovery

At the heart of a world in motion The year 2022 has been filled with many important events impacting port-cities around the world. Since the start of the year, topics linked to the AIVP Agenda 2030 have paralleled innovative actions of ports and cities. Port cities have been in the spotlight, combining global connectivity and local actions. For 35 years, AIVP has accompanied the incredible acceleration of globalization. It seemed that the growth of trade, the mobility of people and the flow of information were inevitable. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic broke this momentum. The halt in daily activities affected economic growth but also temporarily cut our carbon emissions by a third. This was the clearest practical case proving the link between economic growth and global warming. Port cities, with their role as catalysts of globalization, have been hit hard by this health crisis. Nevertheless, port city actors have demonstrated their resilience and commitment to serving society to maintain the supply chain. The return to post-pandemic life did not remain in the spotlight for long. Since February 2022, the first European interstate war since World War II broke out. The AIVP has expressed its support for its member Mariupol city in these difficult times. The consequences of this armed conflict involving one of the world's great energy powers are cataclysmic, especially for developing countries. As the main gateway for Russian and Ukrainian raw material imports, port cities are once again confronted with geopolitical disorder. With the aid of the United Nations, several ships filled with grains have been able to leave Ukraine to help combat global food insecurity. Many of these exports stemmed from the port-city of Odessa. This crisis that impacts us, accompanied by inflation partly due to the increased cost of maritime transport, must make us reflect on a new, sustainable development model. Port cities are an excellent laboratory for imagining the sustainable economy of tomorrow, as they were one of the first places where the modern industrial economy was built in the 20th century. Globalization, a subject near and dear to the AIVP, has not disappeared, as the rebound in world consumption at the end of 2022 proves, despite the rise in prices. The considerable transformation that is being initiated before our eyes is rather a relocation of essential production, of "friendshoring" [1], and an increase in ecological awareness. Our port cities have…