UNESCAP ASIA - PACIFIC REGIONAL DIALOGUE ON SUSTAINABLE MARITIME CONNECTIVITY - NAVIGATING UNCERNTAININTY, ADVANCING TOGETHER

Attendance at the India Maritime Week 2025 Opening Ceremony and Related Events

Registration

ESCAP Secretariat

Opening remarks

Welcome

• Mr. Weimin Rein, Director, Transport Division, ESCAP Secretariat, Bangkok

Special Remarks

• Lee Hyun, Policy Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea

• Mr. Geunsub Kim, Deputy President, Korea Maritime Institute (KMI)

• Mr. Vijay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Port, Shipping and waterways, India

• Ms. Mikiko Tanaka, Head and Director, South and Southwest Asia Sub-regional Office, ESCAP Secretariat

Inaugural Remarks

• Hon. Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of the Government of India

Vote of thanks

• Ms. Mikiko Tanaka, Head and Director, South and Southwest Asia, ESCAP Secretariat

Official photograph

Lunch Break

Moderator: Ms. Azhar Jaimurzina Ducrest, Chief of Transport Connectivity and Logistics Section, Transport Division, ESCAP Secretariat

Global Maritime Transport: Current Trends, Outlook, and the Role of Cooperation

• Mr. Hidenobu Tokuda, Economic Affairs Officer, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Global Maritime Transport: Key Issues and Outlook from the IMO Perspective (TBC)

• Mr. Jose Matheickal, Director of the Technical Cooperation and Implementation Division, International Maritime Organization (IMO) (TBC)

Maritime Connectivity in Asia and the Pacific: Key Findings from the 2024–2025 Annual Report

• Mr. Gyu Serb Kim, Expert, Transport Connectivity and Logistics Section, Transport Division, ESCAP

Maritime Trade and Logistics Flows in Asia and the Pacific: Implications and Insights

• Ms. Heeyoung Ryu, Senior Researcher, Korea Maritime Institute (KMI)

Maritime Transport in South and South-West Asia: Current Status and Key Issues

• Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair Chandraserann, ESCAP Consultant

Q & A session

Coffee break

Moderator: Mr. R. Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary (Ports,PPP, CS, Sagarmala-I, & IT), Ministry of Port, Shipping and waterways, India

Regional Cooperation in Maritime Transport in Asia and the Pacific: Current Initiatives and Future Plans

• Mr. Sooyeob Kim, Economic Affairs Officer, Transport Division, ESCAP

Maritime Transport Cooperation and Strategic Planning in ASEAN

• Mr. Haji Khairul Zaman Hj Abdul Jalil, Acting Assistant Chief Executive, Maritime and Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam/Chair of ASEAN MTWG

Cooperation Strategies for Sustainable Development in South and South-West Asia

• Dr. Rajan Sudesh Ratna, Deputy Head and Senior Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia

Trilateral Maritime Cooperation for Northeast Asia: Current Status of China-Korea-Japan Collaboration

• Ms. Bokyung Kim, Associate Research Fellow, Korea Maritime Institute (KMI)

Regional Maritime Transport Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal

• Mr. Prasanth Chandran, Director, The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretariat

Regional Maritime Transport Cooperation in the Pacific

• Ms. Faranisese Kiniviwai, Maritime Transport Team Leader, Pacific Community (SPC)

Q & A session

Moderator: Ms. Azhar Jaimurzina Ducrest, Chief of Transport Connectivity and Logistics Section, Transport Division, ESCAP Secretariat

A Blue Transformation for Maritime Transport in Asia and the Pacific

• Mr. Ninan Oommen Biju, Senior Port and Maritime Transport Specialist, World Bank

Trends in Smart Maritime Technologies: Smart Ports and Autonomous Ships

• Ms. Daye Lee, Senior Researcher, Korea Maritime Institute (KMI)

Implementation Strategy for Green Shipping Corridors in Asia and the Pacific

• Mr. Paul Tae-Woo Lee, Director, Maritime Logistics and Free Trade Islands Research Center, Ocean College, Zhejiang University

Port-to-Port Cooperation to Promote Smart Ports and Support Developing Countries

• Dr. Ennarasu Karunesan, Regional Director, International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH)

Women’s Leadership and Legal Voice in Advancing Sustainable Maritime Connectivity in the Asia-Pacific Region

• Ms. Jimi John FCIArb, Advocate, Accredited Arbitrator & Mediator, President, Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) India

Q & A session

Coffee Break

Chair/Moderator: Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair Chandraserann, ESCAP Consultant

Enhancing Maritime Accessibility for Central Asia: Current Initiatives

• Mohd Jawed, Senior Project Officer (Transport), Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Inland Waterways and Intermodal Connectivity in South and South-West Asia: Status and Challenges

• Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair Chandraserann, ESCAP Consultant

Policy and Technological Trends in Inland Waterway Development

• Mr. Gensheng Zhao, Expert from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC)

Promoting Inland Waterway Transport in the Mekong Region: Current Status and Future Plans

• Mr. Duc Phu Tran, Navigation Operations Specialist, Mekong River Commission (MRC)

Q & A session

Lunch Break

Moderator: Ms. Azhar Jaimurzina Ducrest, Chief of Transport Connectivity and Logistics Section, Transport Division, ESCAP

Country reports

Coffee Break

Country reports: (continued)

Coffee Break

Discussions and Questions

Conclusion and Recommendations

ESCAP secretariat