The number "three" is significant for the American Association of Port Authorities' Latin American delegation. This year, I am serving as delegation chairman for the third time, while, during 2002-2003, I had the distinct pleasure of serving as the association's chairman, being the third Latin American to ever hold that position.
My association with AAPA has always been very rewarding and enriching. I consider the association to be exemplary -- undoubtedly the most important and relevant ports association in the Western Hemisphere. The training and educational programs provided by AAPA are excellent and known worldwide for their quality and timeliness.
The Professional Port Manager program, available to Latin Americans for the last two years, now both in Spanish and Portuguese, is the industry's premier advanced academic certification. In the past year, seven more Latin American port leaders have earned PPM® certificates.
Through programs such as PPM® and year-round seminars, AAPA continues to be a leader in augmenting the skills and knowledge of port industry personnel. AAPA is the catalyst for greater understanding between ports throughout the hemisphere, where synergies are created and where ports can find solutions to problems in common. I consider this exchange and flow of ideas -- what I call "free consulting" -- to be one of AAPA's greatest benefits to its members.
This year has been very difficult for everyone, and Latin American ports have not been spared from what has been the most drastic economic downturn since the Great Depression. But Latin American ports will come out of this stronger and with greater dynamism looking forward. The crisis has shown us that sticking together and working together are very important if not vital. And AAPA has been extremely relevant and important to its membership during these difficult times. It is especially in times of crises that organizations such as AAPA demonstrate their greatest value.
Among the objectives of my tenure is increasing AAPA membership numbers for Latin American ports and sustaining member entities. We will concentrate on those countries, such as Brazil and Chile, that are underrepresented in the association in relation to their economic importance or their international trade relevance. I will continue to seek greater membership from other Latin American countries as well, since greater Latin American participation will strengthen our delegation and the association in its entirety.
I will also seek to explore ways by which our Latin American ports take greater advantage of AAPA's educational and training programs by participating actively in our conventions, congresses and seminars. This will increase the level of managerial and overall professional competency in Latin American port administrations, thereby helping economic development in the hemisphere. Finally, I will also seek to have our Latin American port executives participate more actively in our different committees. Participation by Latin Americans in the committees will be the best way by which the association continues to develop as a hemispheric organization.
We will always face challenges, and our future will be very different from the present and the past. Our industry will also experience tremendous changes. In our hemisphere, the expansion of the Panama Canal will create a new paradigm in the port industry. It is with these dramatic changes that an institution such as AAPA becomes all the more important. I personally would not like to navigate the uncharted waters of the future without the support from my peers and the ability to learn from each other as is facilitated by AAPA. AAPA advances the exchange of ideas and is therefore vital not only for all Latin American ports but for all hemispheric ports.
