Unanimous Decision: Busan Becomes First Asian City to Join AIVP Board of Directors

Showcasing Busan's Capabilities as a Global Maritime Hub City at the World Port Cities Association General Assembly

Busan has become the first Asian city to join the board of directors of the World Port Cities Association (AIVP).

On November 19, Busan announced that it had been unanimously elected as a board executive city at the "2025 World Port Cities Association General Assembly" held in New York, USA.

Founded in Le Havre, France in 1988, AIVP is an international association comprising 197 local governments and port authorities from 44 countries. The organization promotes cooperation, exchange, and joint projects between cities and ports, and also serves as an advisory body to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

On the 19th, the "2025 World Association of Port Cities General Assembly" was held in New York, USA. Busan City was unanimously elected as a board executive city.

With this election, Busan has strengthened its status as a global maritime hub city. The board term is three years and can be renewed once. The board is responsible for key decisions of the association, including forming the executive committee, selecting the host city for the general assembly, reviewing agendas and projects, and approving the budget.

This marks the first time an Asian city has joined the AIVP board. The city explained that its experience in hosting international events, its capabilities in shipping and port policy, and the "Global Maritime Hub City Vision" announced in August were all factors that earned the trust of member organizations. Busan believes that participating on the board has also laid a favorable foundation for hosting the 2027 AIVP General Assembly.

Starting November 19, the Busan delegation will launch a full-scale diplomatic campaign to attract the event. Beginning with a speech at the "High-Level Roundtable," the delegation will hold a series of meetings with the Director of the Port Authority of Dunkirk, France, the Mayor of Douala, Cameroon, and Edouard Philippe, Mayor of Le Havre and President of AIVP. Key agenda items will include smart ports, carbon reduction transition, port governance cooperation, and support for hosting the 2027 General Assembly.

Mayor Park Heongjoon stated, "Busan's global maritime hub city strategy is a symbolic example of achieving results on the international stage," and added, "As the first Asian board executive city, Busan will play a new role in the global network of port cities." He continued, "We will work to host the 2027 General Assembly in Busan and, in the long term, to establish the AIVP Asia headquarters in Busan."