FIATA mobilises its 40,000 members in response to the threat of global supply chain disruption
FIATA mobilises its 40,000 members in response to the threat of global supply chain disruption
Press release:
FIATA launches paperless FBL solution – FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations
The foundations of the land and sea transport system are being shaken by the Covid crisis, the congestion of international ports, the war in Ukraine, not to mention the blockage of the Suez Canal. Based in Geneva, FIATA is the world’s largest multimodal transport association representing 40,000 members. From May 17 to 20, it will bring together all the global players in the sector in Geneva to try to find a solution to the freight transport crisis and reconnect after two years apart due to the pandemic.
This Press Conference will be the first opportunity for local and international press organisations to make their acquaintance with FIATA since the almost century-old Federation moved from Zurich to Geneva. The annual Headquarters Meeting which unites the main supply chain stakeholders will take place at the CICG in Geneva from 17 to 20 May 2022.
In the two last years, the positive outlook for the trade and logistics sector has been considerably jeopardised by numerous global events, from the pandemic to reduced workforce size, not to mention the Eastern European war, the resulting economic effects of these events, and the maritime crisis. The freight forwarding community played a pivotal role in the delivery of essential medication and sanitary goods during the pandemic and has overcome significant disturbances to the supply chain on a united front. The risk posed to small and medium-sized freight forwarding companies has continued to grow in the last year, with three shipping alliances holding 80% of the market share in recent years. The pandemic situation in China, the war in Europe, the congestion in international ports, the concentration of the maritime sector on few actors and the challenge of labour succession will continue to put pressure on transport prices and availability contributing to inflation and impacting on end customers. In this context, FIATA, who represents the voice of the global freight forwarding community, is bringing together all supply chain stakeholders in Geneva for a week to find solutions to ensure a smooth supply chain and continuous flow of goods around the world.
As the biggest multimodal transport association worldwide, with 111 National Associations representing 40,000 members worldwide, and over 5,500 individual corporate members, transferring to international Geneva was a strategic and important move to come closer to its international partners at UNCTAD, the UNECE, WTO, ITC, IRU, and more. On behalf of its members, FIATA lobbies for an efficient supply chain, the reduction of supply chain bottlenecks and ease of market access, particularly for developing countries, an issue FIATA regularly raises with the World Trade Organization and other organisations aimed at facilitating fair global trade.
During this press conference, the FIATA President, accompanied by the Immediate Past President, the Secretary General and the Director General, will address the importance of the above-mentioned pressing issues in the trade and logistics sector, and will formally assess its relocation to Geneva and the benefits of this presence for the international community. Topics that will also be discussed at the headquarters meeting include:
- trade facilitation
- capacity building
- supply chain issues
- multimodal transport
- decarbonisation in the industry
- the maritime crisis
- and labour succession
The Press Conference will come to an end within one hour and we will provide a working area and light refreshments
for your comfortable visit.
We look forward to a successful working relationship in the very near future and if you require any further information; feel free to contact :
Amanda Stock, FIATA Communications Officer, at any time on communications@fiata.org, or +41 22 715 45 45.
Speakers
Ivan Petrov
FIATA President
Basil Pietersen
FIATA Immediate Past President
Stéphane Graber
FIATA Director General
Robert Keen
FIATA Secretary General