WISTA URUGUAY

By: Dra. Gabriela Vidal, lawyer. Vice Chair WISTA Uruguay

Wista is an international organization that connects women executives and decision-makers in the maritime, commercial and logistics industries worldwide. It is made up of more than 3,900 professional women from all sectors of the maritime industry.

WISTA International currently consists of 54 national associations from different countries, representing all segments of the maritime industry and activity.

In 1974, a group of brokers involved in the oil market from Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom met for a Christmas lunch in London and the association began to take shape.

Over the years, others were invited to join the luncheon and the group expanded throughout Europe to include women from other areas of shipping.

In 1981, the first annual WISTA International Conference was held in Hamburg, Germany.  Since then, an annual international conference has been held in more than 20 different countries.

In Uruguay, WISTA was founded in February 2008, being the first association to be founded in Latin America. 
Our members are professionals in different sectors of the environment, among them lawyers, representatives of P&I Clubs, shipping agents, cargo agents, Navy officers, maritime suppliers, shipowners, etc. We are honored to have among our members, as an honorary member, the Vice President of the Republic, Mrs. Beatriz Argimón, a great advocate of gender equality. 

The objectives of WISTA are the search and support for the creation of commercial relations between members at national and international level.

Also, it seeks to promote the advancement of the interests of women in the maritime, commercial and port industry, with a view to achieving the exchange of contacts and experiences among its members.

To achieve these objectives, it seeks to promote a community among its members, facilitating the exchange of contacts, information and experiences. It works on the creation of commercial relationships among its members, seeking to facilitate the professional development of its members.

We also provide links with other institutions and related international organizations and promote continuous training and networking opportunities. It is a very important objective to serve as a center for the exchange of information.

One of the most important tools for our members is training. 

Another important point is the cooperation that WISTA has with various international organizations. Among the most important is the Integrated Maritime Organization (IMO) where WISTA is a consultative body.

In fact, this year 2021 a global survey was launched in partnership with WISTA, which is expected to obtain baseline data on women in the maritime sector.

On October 15, 2020, WISTA Uruguay adhered to the Women's Empowerment Principles, signing the commitment via zoom with the Uruguayan, UN Women Regional Director, Dr. Maria Noel Vaeza.

The balance is positive, since in 2008 it was very difficult to found and develop WISTA in Uruguay because there were not many women in decision-making positions at that time. Over the years, women have been occupying more important positions and this has facilitated the expansion of the number of members of the organization.

It was a great challenge to consolidate WISTA. At the beginning, it was difficult to bring new people into the organization, representing different activities, different companies, etc. Now we see that the effort made was worth it, as it is an association with a varied representation of activities of its members, with different ages and experiences and whose consolidation we see that it has been strengthening, which was one of our most important concerns and objectives.  We are confident that this will continue!

WISTA URUGUAY RRSS