The 2025 IAPH World Ports Conference – held in Kobe, Japan last week – concluded with the IAPH and the City of Kobe signing a joint declaration reaffirming their shared dedication to advancing sustainable development across the global port and maritime industries. The declaration was co-signed on the closing day of #IAPH2025 by Mayor Kizo Hisamoto and IAPH president Jens Meier, CEO of Hamburg Port Authority. The ceremony celebrated the symbolic return of IAPH to its roots at the conference, held in the very city where the idea of the Association was first conceived in 1952. The declaration commits both parties to promoting information sharing and cooperation among member ports to safeguard stable global trade and foster world peace. Mayor Hisamoto praised IAPH’s efforts in deepening cooperation among ports worldwide, expressing hope for stronger ties between Kobe and IAPH. Meier called the ‘Kobe Declaration’ a reaffirmation of IAPH’s founding values: open trade, peace, and partnership.
