With the support of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Mekong Institute (MI) organized an International Training Program on Green Freight and Logistics Development on May 20-31, 2019. The objective of the training program was to enhance knowledge and skills on logistics operations and services, planning and management with efficiency and effectiveness for sustainable freight and logistics development.
A total of nineteen (19) participants from 16 countries in Asia, Africa and North America, namely Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nigeria, Palestine, Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan, participated in the two week training program. The participants comprised of senior to mid-level officials from different agencies representing ministry of transport, port authorities and other transport related government organizations such as national railway office, council of science and technology and environment quality authority.
The two week training program comprised of class room sessions and structured learning visits (SLVs). The training program covered six interrelated modules on topics such as concepts, significance and approaches of green freight, green freight labeling, certification and preparation, issues such as financial benefits at a company level, green technologies for green freight and logistics, carriage of dangerous goods, measurement of green logistics performance, introduction to driving simulator, policies, international agreements and conventions on global transport, and maritime transport and port development. To enable the participants to gain practical knowledge and experience on green freight and logistics, study visits were conducted at Interroll (Thailand), Port Authority of Thailand / Bangkok Port, and Thai Customs Department. The visits aimed to gain Thailand experiences on warehousing and distribution, green port initiatives and effective management of customs house.
As part of the training program, the participants developed country-wise action plans (APs). The objective of the APs was to transfer knowledge, ideas and experiences gained from the training program at their respective work place. The participants would do this through conducting a set of activities at national level comprising of knowledge sharing sessions and workshops, policy development on green freight, setting up fleet management system, publication of articles / information on websites, introduction of new concepts / ideas in policies related to transportation & logistics and development of guidelines and hand-outs on eco-driving.
Closing ceremony was organized on the last day at Bangkok. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Ms. Sasitorn Wongweerachotkit, Deputy Director General of TICA, congratulated the training participants for successfully completing the course and highlighted the significance of the training program which aimed to share Thailand’s experience in the green freight and logistics sector. She hoped that the training program met with the objectives to enhance participants’ capacity for creating a more environmental friendly world through materializing APs. While providing the way forward, Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, Director of MI Trade and Investment Facilitation (TIF) Department, highlighted the importance of transferring the knowledge gained from the training program through implementing APs and establishing greener freight and logistics sector in respective countries. Dr. Watcharas Leelawath, MI Executive Director, in his closing remarks, mentioned the importance of creating positive outcomes and impacts of the training program in respective countries, and said that MI looks forward to hearing many success stories and lessons learned in the near future.
