What AIVP does

AIVP (Association Internationale Villes et Ports) is a France-based non-governmental organization founded in 1988 and headquartered in Le Havre. It operates as the leading international network dedicated to improving the relationship between cities and ports through sustainable, responsible, and innovative development. AIVP serves approximately 190 member organizations spanning port authorities, local authorities, and professional companies across roughly 50 countries, with a referenced network of 2,000 contacts.

AIVP's core initiatives include the Agenda 2030 (the first global framework adapting the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals to port city relations, co-developed with UN-Habitat and deposited at the UN in 2019), the Port Center concept (interactive mediation spaces connecting citizens, cities, and ports), the AIVP Antoine Rufenacht Prize, and three thematic working groups (Port Center, River Port Cities, Cruises & Port Cities). Service offerings include benchmarking (AIVP Benchmark), expert-led Masterclass training, an Online Associate Degree in Port City Sustainability co-developed with IIPC, the Agenda 2030 Self-Assessment Tool, a Good Practices database, webinars, and documentary content. AIVP's flagship event is the annual World Conference Cities & Ports, held across global port cities (Lisbon 2024, New York 2025, Dunkirk 2026).

AIVP's business model is membership-based and event-driven. Revenue is generated through annual membership fees (set by the General Assembly on a tiered schedule based on city, port, or company size), conference registrations, training program fees, and international cooperation project funding (including partnerships with AFD and programs such as MAGPIE, Connected River, and SAFARI). AIVP holds consultative status with UNCTAD and the World Urban Campaign, and is governed as an association under French law with a Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Director General (Bruno Delsalle). The organization is led by a President (Édouard Philippe) and a small permanent team, operating without parent company ownership or institutional investment backing.

Name

AIVP

Legal name

Association Internationale Villes et Ports (AIVP)

Website

https://aivp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AIVP is a France-based international NGO founded in 1988 that connects approximately 190 port authorities, local authorities, and port-related companies across 50 countries to improve city-port relations through the Agenda 2030 framework, working groups, benchmarking, training, and the annual World Conference Cities & Ports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Port City Sustainable Development Association Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), International Affairs (92812), Public Administration (92)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• Port city development
• Sustainable development association
• Port city networking
• Urban port cooperation
• Maritime industry association

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Havre

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees paid by port authorities, local authorities, and professional companies. The membership fee is determined annually by the General Assembly based on a fee schedule. The amount depends on the size of the city, port, and company joining the network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AIVP is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that brings together port authorities, local authorities, and professional companies to improve city-port relationships through mutual cooperation. It delivers a portfolio of knowledge-based services including the Agenda 2030 framework adapting UN Sustainable Development Goals to port cities, Port Center mediation concepts, benchmarking tools, training programs (Online Associate Degree in Port City Sustainability), working groups, the annual World Conference Cities & Ports, and a global network of 190 member organizations across 50 countries.

Product overview

AIVP is a global NGO that has been bringing together urban and port stakeholders and their partners for over 30 years to improve the relationship between cities and ports through mutual cooperation for sustainable, responsible, and innovative development. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected initiatives and services including the Agenda 2030 (adapting UN SDGs to port cities), Port Center by AIVP (port mediation hubs), training programs (Online Associate Degree in Port City Sustainability), benchmarking services, working groups, the Antoine Rufenacht Prize, international cooperation projects, and the annual World Conference Cities & Ports. AIVP serves approximately 190 member organizations across 50 countries through member-only resources, good practices databases, self-assessment tools, and networking opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Agenda 2030: The world's first initiative to adapt the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals to the specific context of port city relations, with 10 objectives for 2030.
• Port Center by AIVP
• AIVP Prize Antoine Rufenacht
• Online Associate Degree in Port City Sustainability

Products and services

• Agenda 2030 by AIVP The first global initiative adapting the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals to the specific context of port-city relations, setting 10 objectives for 2030. Used by port authorities, cities, and port-city professionals to guide sustainable development strategy.
• Port Center by AIVP A concept for creating interactive mediation spaces that connect citizens, cities, and ports to communicate about port missions, projects, and professions. Targeted at port cities seeking to strengthen port-city-citizen engagement.
• AIVP Antoine Rufenacht Prize An award celebrating the most outstanding port-city interface projects that address port-city relationships in the context of sustainable development. Open to port-city project teams worldwide.
• Online Associate Degree in Port City Sustainability A distance learning program co-developed with the International Institute of Ports and Cities (IIPC) that helps port-city actors achieve sustainable development objectives. Targeted at port-city professionals and territorial stakeholders.
• AIVP Benchmark A benchmarking service enabling members to compare their port-city development strategies and performance against peers. Targeted at AIVP member organizations.
• AIVP Masterclass Expert-led training sessions on port-city topics for members seeking specialized knowledge. Targeted at AIVP members.
• Agenda 2030 Self-Assessment Tool An online self-assessment tool allowing AIVP members to track their progress toward the 10 Agenda 2030 objectives on an annual basis. Targeted at AIVP member port cities.
• AIVP World Conference Cities & Ports The international meeting place for port cities to share knowledge, promote projects, establish international cooperation links, and discuss sustainable port city development challenges. Targeted at port city professionals, decision-makers, and experts.
• International Cooperation Projects Collaborative projects including MAGPIE, Connected River, SAFARI, and AFD partnerships supporting port city sustainable development globally. Targeted at port cities and international development stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• First global initiative to adapt UN's 17 SDGs to port city context
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and flagship.

• UN-HabitatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018UN-Habitat is a key strategic partner for the Agenda 2030 initiative. AIVP has had consultative status with UNCTAD and the World Urban Campaign for years. The Agenda 2030 was developed in close collaboration with UN-Habitat and deposited at the UN in 2019 as a contribution of port cities to the 17 SDGs.
• SaaltussupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Saaltus is a company that funds numerous agroforestry projects. AIVP partners with Saaltus for environmental compensation of its events, contributing 4% of registration fees to fund the Graine en Main project.
• Graine en MainsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated near AIVP headquarters in Le Havre, Graine en Main is a 7-hectare organic market garden that employs 20 people on professional integration contracts and distributes 300 baskets of fresh vegetables weekly. AIVP supports this project through environmental compensation funds.
• NYC EDC (New York City Economic Development Corporation)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerNYC EDC partnered with AIVP for the 2025 World Conference in New York, contributing to the organization of this flagship event.
• Port of Dunkirk (Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGrand Port Maritime de Dunkerque is the host partner for the 2026 World Conference Cities & Ports to be held in Dunkirk, France.
• Port of Lisbon (Porto de Lisboa)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPorto de Lisboa was the partner for the 2024 World Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
• Port of RotterdamsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPort of Rotterdam collaborated with AIVP for Port Center workshops and the Portlantis immersive center opening.
• International Institute of Ports and Cities (IIPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIPC is a port city training organization that co-develops the Online Associate Degree in Port City Sustainability program with AIVP.
• MedCruisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIVP partners with MedCruise for the Cruises & Port Cities Working Group, advancing collaborative work on governance, citizen engagement, mobility, and sustainable port-city relations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: Global network of major cities focused on climate action; comparable as a city-focused international membership network with sustainability framing, with overlapping climate-adaptation content for port cities.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability: Global network of local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development; comparable as a long-standing international association serving municipal members with sustainability frameworks and tools.
• PIANC (World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure): Long-established international technical association for port and waterway infrastructure; comparable as a global membership body serving port professionals, with broader scope on infrastructure engineering rather than city-port relations.

Direct peers

• MedCruise: Association of Mediterranean cruise ports; directly comparable as a port association, and already a working-group partner of AIVP on the Cruises & Port Cities theme, making it both peer and partner.
• IAPH (International Association of Ports and Harbors): Global port industry association representing ports worldwide; directly comparable to AIVP as an international membership body for port stakeholders, though focused on port operations rather than the city-port interface AIVP specializes in.
• ESPO (European Sea Ports Organisation): European port association representing port authorities and port-related industry; highly comparable as a membership-driven advocacy and knowledge body for ports, with overlapping member base (European ports that are also AIVP members).
• EcoPorts: ESPO's environmental initiative for European ports providing environmental management tools (PERS certification); comparable as a port-sustainability standards body whose framework overlaps with AIVP's Agenda 2030 self-assessment offering.

Others

• UN-Habitat: United Nations agency for sustainable urban development; a strategic partner of AIVP (Agenda 2030 deposited at UN) and a comparable international body publishing sustainability frameworks and convening governments on urban-port issues.
• OECD Port-City Initiative: OECD initiative focused on port-city economic and governance linkages; comparable as an international advisory body producing policy guidance, data, and frameworks on port-city relations that AIVP members also reference.
• The World Bank - Transport & Ports Practice: Multilateral lender and policy advisor heavily engaged in port-city infrastructure and climate adaptation in developing economies; comparable as a producer of port sustainability standards and a funder of port city projects that AIVP also engages with through AFD partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aivp_net
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aivp-inspiring-people-of-port-cities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AIVP