Colombia will host the World Maritime Summit to promote gender equality
Attendees will talk about the "impact of women in the maritime community" and will address issues such as opportunities and challenges for the entry of women into the sector
LatinAmerican Post Staff with EFE information
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Colombia will host for the first time the World Maritime Summit, promoted by the International Maritime Organization (IOM), and in which for three days delegations from 174 countries will promote the empowerment of women, industry sources reported.
Leer en español: Colombia será sede de la Cumbre Marítima Mundial para promover la igualdad de género
"We are very proud and we are going to have a big celebration with the motto 'empowering women in the maritime community'. That is why Colombia is chosen because of its maritime development characteristics," the director of the General Directorate told Efe Maritime (DIMAR), Vice Admiral Juan Manuel Soltau Ospina.
Soltau added that the Andean country was proposed as headquarters in 2014 and after several years of analysis was selected for its development and capacity in the maritime sector.
During the meeting, which will take place between September 15 and 17 in Cartagena de Indias, delegations from countries such as Nigeria, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, France, and Spain, among others, will participate in the two scenarios of the summit.
In the first one, a maritime fair will be held in which 42 companies in the sector, both national and international, will offer their products and services related to scientific research, maritime transport, insurance, and ports.
Similarly, the senior official explained that the organizers created an academic agenda in which 17 experts will address the revolution of the maritime industry in the era of new technology and sustainable development in relation to ocean governance.
In addition, attendees will talk about the "impact of women in the maritime community" and will address issues such as opportunities and challenges for the entry of women into the sector.
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"There is an important space for more women to be at sea, for more women to participate in onboard operations and have more sailors, officers, and captains," Soltau said.
The military added that the gender approach of the summit is due to an IOM commitment to contribute to the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number five, which focuses on gender equality.
The inauguration of the event will be attended by Colombian President Iván Duque; Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez, and Defense Minister Guillermo Botero, among others.
Soltau mentioned among the main challenges of the sector to recover the flagging of ships in the country, as there are currently six, while other "Latin American nations similar to the maritime development of Colombia" have between 60 and 100 ships.
"This event is very important because it allows us to know all the details: How we could improve as a country, as organizations and how we are so that ours have more employment, have greater investment in economic issues and we can have a legislative agenda which we build to improve the country's competitiveness," he concluded.
