Under the patronage of Egyptian Transport Minister Mohammad Mansour, UN-ESCWA is set to hold an “Expert Group Meeting Towards the Implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Transport ‎Cooperation in the Arab Mashreq: The Role of Governments and Private ‎Sector in Activating Shipping Traffic and Application of Information and Communication Technology in the Seaports of UN-ESCWA Member Countries” from 12 to 14 February 2007 at the Ramses Hilton Hotel, Cairo.

Opening at 10:00am on Monday, the meeting comes within the context of UN-ESCWA efforts to develop cooperation and integration ties between the countries of Western Asia and all Arab countries and to enhance the role of maritime transport. This is playing a major role in facilitating and supporting foreign and intra-regional trade. These efforts are also aimed at achieving the goals mentioned in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Maritime Transport in the Arab Mashreq that came into effect with the signing of 5 UN-ESCWA member countries on 4 September 2006. The meeting comes in line with the decision of the 18th Session of Arab Ministers of Transport (Damascus 22-23 November 2005) that called for widening the span of the UN-ESCWA MOU to include all Arab countries. It called on those countries that had not yet examined the MOU to do so with an eye to joining and signing it. One of the recommendations of the 24th Ministerial Session of UN-ESCWA (8-11 May 2006) called on member countries that had not yet ratified the MOU, or signed it, to move to join at the earliest opportunity so that the MOU might come into effect as soon as possible and its articles be implemented on the national and regional levels.

This meeting aims to reach a set of recommendations and work plan to implement the MOU on the ground. International and regional expertise in applying information and communication technology at sea ports will be examined. The Arab maritime transport society, including the private sector and specialized government departments, will be briefed on means of mutual cooperation on maritime transport between the countries of the region within the framework of the MOU.

The meeting will bring together a host of responsible figures from the public and private maritime transport and seaport industry in the UN-ESCWA region and other Arab countries, as well as representatives of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and international corporations, institutions and international experts.

During the meeting, papers will be presented by NAVIS, UNCTAD, GAUSS, Complete Solutions and UN-ESCWA with a presentation of the systems applied at Alexandria Port (Egypt), Sultan Qaboos Port (Oman), Aqaba Port (Jordan) and Syrian ports. This is in addition to working papers on means of facilitating and implementing the MOU between the countries of the region.