ECLAC Launches new Maritime and Logistics Profile to Support Logistics Policies for Sustainable Development

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has just made an updated version of its Maritime and Logistics Profile available on its website. The March 2017 update of this interactive tool provides data and information on the maritime and logistics sector and is intended to support countries in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of public policies and regulations in order to increase efficiency and sustainability in the provision of logistics services and maximize their contribution to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Profile, first published in 1999 as the “ECLAC Maritime Profile”, aims to promote and facilitate studies into maritime transport in Latin America and the Caribbean by providing references to and data on recent trends and maritime and port policies and by supplying information to support research into ports, transport and logistics.

One of the Profile’s main products is the ECLAC Port Ranking, which provides details on cargo container movements at 120 of the region’s ports, using information gathered directly from port authorities and marine terminal operators.

Over the past decade, the Profile has gradually expanded to cover the rest of the transport and logistics sector, and it now includes information on road, rail, air and inland waterway transport services as well as on modal splits in transport operations.

In its new format, the Profile hosts data on port and air movements, land transport infrastructure networks and the modal split in international transport operations. The tool allows users to select from a range of basic indicators covering different areas, create personalized charts and display maps showing the evolution of data over time.

This video, which is available in the “Help” section of the website (under the “Customize” tab of the Profile’s Infrastructure Services page), provides a more detailed guide on the use of those functions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv1zkMn27Vo.

The Maritime and Logistics Profile and the Infrastructure Investment Database (INFRALATAM.info) are just some of the contributions that ECLAC has made available to assist the Latin American and Caribbean community in the task of quantifying the development of the region’s infrastructure services to support public policies geared towards sustainable development.