• During the event, Fundación Étnor, Global Compact, and Mercy Ships presented their initiatives and value propositions to attendees

Valencia, September 17th, 2025. – Today, the Clock Building hosted the conference “Alliances and CSR in the Port Community,” an event organized by Fundación Valenciaport in collaboration with the Port Authority of Valencia. The main objective of the meeting was to address three key issues of great relevance to companies in the sector: ethics, contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and commitment to the social environment.

The session, which brought together more than fifty representatives from the port community, was opened by Antonio Torregrosa, managing director of the Fundación Valenciaport, who recalled that sustainability and CSR have been an essential part of the Fundación Valenciaport’s activity since its inception. “We have always conceived of the port not only as an economic engine, but also as a social engine, and the Foundation as a unifying vehicle for improving the competitiveness of companies.” In addition, the director of the Foundation emphasized, “the greater the capacity, the greater the responsibility; this year we are taking a further step by raising awareness of organizations that can be great allies on this shared path.”

Next, Pilar Blaya, director of CSR and Human Capital at Fundación Valenciaport, gave a brief introduction to the opportunity to forge alliances in the port sector to multiply the positive impact on the environment and people. She then moderated the round table discussion on “Perspectives and Proposals,” which included the participation of Pedro Coca, president of the Étnor Foundation; Isabel Roser, local corporate development coordinator for the UN Global Compact Spain; and Gerardo Vangioni, president of Naves de Esperanza (Merci Ships) in Spain.

Pedro Coca recalled the origins of the Étnor Foundation, the importance of civil society, and the substantial change in the role of companies in recent decades, as they have become responsible for their impact on stakeholders. The president of Fundación Étnor concluded his speech by reviewing the activities carried out by this entity, which is dedicated to promoting ethics in business and organizations. These range from regular seminars to ethics training programs for entrepreneurs, executives, and students, as well as practical tools for implementing ethical management in organizations.

Isabel Roser shared how companies in the port ecosystem can accelerate their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In her speech, she addressed the role of the Global Compact as a strategic platform for promoting corporate sustainability, highlighting specific support tools, examples of good practice, and keys to integrating ESG criteria into companies’ risk and opportunity management, and emphasizing the importance of “transformative partnerships and tangible corporate action in favor of sustainable development.”

For his part, Gerardo Vangioni introduced attendees to Mercy Ships, an international humanitarian organization that provides free medical care in Africa on civilian hospital ships equipped with operating rooms and staffed by volunteer healthcare professionals. In addition to surgical services, Mercy Ships provides training to local healthcare personnel and supports the development of medical infrastructure, with the aim of leaving a lasting impact. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer professionals from over 60 countries serve aboard the world’s two largest non-governmental hospital ships: the Africa Mercy and the Global Mercy.

The conference concluded with a speech by Marta Villalonga, Chief of Staff of the Port Authority of Valencia, who closed the meeting by thanking the speakers for their contributions and stating that “they are an example of organizations that add value and improve our reality.” Finally, she encouraged those present “to be spokespersons, participants, or accomplices in these initiatives and to continue seeking collaborative ways to reinforce this involvement in the environment in order to continue working towards a more responsible, competitive, and committed port.”