Proceedings
As gateways to globalisation and hubs of creativity and innovation, port cities are constantly re-inventing themselves. Faced with the challenges of local and global sustainable development, coupled with the need to find common solutions, economic operators and institutional organisations are increasingly coming together to develop projects jointly. As part of this new approach, economic development projects backed by port authorities, local communities or businesses themselves need to take account of local environmental and social issues together, at an early stage.
The port cities of the Indian Ocean are experiencing powerful demographic and economic movements, bringing with them opportunities for growth for ports and their partners. Within this vast, multicultural, fragmented regional community, the ocean and maritime activities act as a potent link. Port cities are also vying in competition, needing to attract investors and new talents while guaranteeing jobs and quality of life for their local populations. As they look to meet these challenges, cooperation and bilateral or multilateral partnerships to support local initiatives are a very important asset.
The AIVP Indian Ocean Days, hosted by the Municipality of le Port (Reunion Island) aimed to lay the groundwork for regional cooperation on the issues that ports are set to face in the future.
The debates took place around three key themes:
- Theme 1: City-port strategies for a maritime living environment
- Theme 2: Economic city-port trends for the Indian Ocean
- Theme 3: Measures in favour of employment in the port cities of the Indian Ocean
Partners
Wednesday 7 November 2018
19:00
Welcome cocktail in the Gardens of City Hall
- Reception by Mr. Olivier Hoarau, Mayor of the Municipality of Le Port
Thursday 8 November 2018
8:00 - 9:00
Registration for participants / Coffee
Venue: Ecole Supérieure d’Art de la Réunion (ESAR) - Le Port
9:00 - 9:30
Welcome address
9:30 - 9:45
Official opening
- Philippe Matthis, President of AIVP
Context and objectives of the seminar and the AIVP Indian Ocean group
9:45 - 10:30
Introduction - Keynote Speaker
Gaetan Siew, President of the Port Louis Development Initiative, Mauritius, Special Envoy UN-Habitat
The Port Cities of the Indian Ocean: a new approach to major strategic issues in the zone
10:30 - 11:00
Coffee break
11:00 - 12:15
Session 1: Presentation of port-city projects at Le Port, Reunion Island
- Prisca Aure, Directrice Générale des Services, Ville de Le Port
The urban-port redevelopment projects of the City of Le Port
Jean-Frédéric Laurent, Directeur Général, Président du Directoire, Grand Port Maritime de la Réunion
Sustainable port planning
Ali Karimi, Directeur Général des Services Techniques et du Développement Durable, Territoire de la Cote Ouest
Marinas and blue tourism in western Reunion: an integrated project built around port cities in the ODYSSEA programme
12:15 - 13:45
Lunch
13:45 - 15:15
Session 2: Urban Port - City-port strategies for an attractive living environment
Port cities have to find innovative ways to develop a quality urban environment for their residents, while attracting the new talents they need. Local authorities and communities are working with their port partners to come up with new ideas about changing the functions and spaces of the port, which represents both an asset and a constraint for urban development.
Mike Brokenshire, Director: Planning & Development, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront SA, Cape Town - South Africa
Redeveloping the cruise terminal as a living space on the waterfront
Ryan Lowe, Urban Planner, Seychelles Planning Authority - Victoria
Victoria Masterplan 2040: the port’s place at the heart of a renewed territory
Marc Dubernet, Directeur Régional Océan Indien, Agence Française de Développement, La Réunion
The Paris Climate Agreement: a new development agenda for the Indian Ocean
15:15 - 15:45
Break – Refreshments
15:45 – 17:30
Technical tour of the city and port
17:30
Back to the hotel
19:30
Official dinner
Friday 9 November 2018
9:00 - 10:30
Session 3: Entreprise-driver Port - Economic city-port trends for the Indian Ocean
The rapid expansion of maritime exchanges and the increased value of regional resources are having a far-reaching impact on ports, and opening up new growth prospects that need to be addressed in collaboration with local authorities and the economic community.
- Eric Apelgren, Head of International and Governance Relations, Municipality of Ethekwini, South Africa
eThekwini Municipality Integrated Development Plan 
Nkosinathi Mthethwa, Chief Operations Officer, Municipality of Umhlathuze (Richards’ Bay), South Africa
The MoU between the City and Port, planning together for the medium and long term [watch the video]
Narad Dawoodarry, Director, Legal & Administrative Services, Mauritius Ports Authority
Transforming Mauritius into a "blue" economy [watch the video]
- Herland Cerveaux, Directeur de Programme, Union des Chambres de Commerce et d’Industrie de l’Ocean indien.
"Indian-ocean.biz": a digital platform dedicated to the exchanges among Stakeholders of the region - Marie-Annick Lamy Giner, Geographer and researcher, University of Reunion
Concluding remarks
10:30 - 10:50
Coffee break
10:50 - 12:20
Session 4: Citizen Port - Measures in favour of employment in the port cities of the Indian Ocean
Jobs – and by extension education and training - are a key sustainable development issue for port cities on the Indian Ocean. While institutions and resources are expanding across the region, the question remains how best to direct them and anticipate the new skills needed, both now and in the future.
Mpilo Ngubane, Head at eThekwini Municipality Academy(EMA) and CIFAL Durban Director, South Africa
An integrated approach to make Durban an international leader in education and innovation
Ramalingum Maistry, President of the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) and President of the Association des Ports des Iles de l’Océan Indien (APIOI)
Mauritius, Investing in human capital: why and how? [watch the video]
Christian Corre, Secrétaire Général, Union Maritime de Mayotte
The port and maritime innovation platform of Longoni: study, innovate, and train
Olivier Lemaire, Managing Director, AIVP
The Port Center: a valuable resource for promoting awareness of the port and its diverse careers
12:20 - 12:50
Conclusions, and prospects for the AIVP Indian Ocean group
- Zaheer ALLAM, Urban Strategist, Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, Curtin University, Australia - Port Louis Development Initiative, Mauritius
Some concluding remarks from a representative of the Next Generation