Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti is in Turkmenistan leading a Qatari delegation to the first-ever UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference. The two-day forum being held in the capital Ashgabat was opened yesterday by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, said a press release of the ministry.
Multiple issues are on the conference agenda, including sustainable transportation, environmental changes, city transportation systems and transport communication between cities and villages, financing the transportation sector, international cooperation in transportation, development of multilateral transport corridors and infrastructure, as well as road safety.
The forum tackles issues on combating poverty through establishing and improving public transport systems and transportation infrastructure. It brings together key stakeholders from governments, the UN and other international organisations, the private sector, and civil society to engage in a dialogue that emphasises the integrated and crosscutting nature of sustainable transport and its multiple roles in supporting the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A number of international conventions and pacts are expected to be signed during the conference, with conference participants able to join governmental agreements such as those related to the pan-Asia land transport routes network, land ports and the international convention on cross-border shipment monitoring regulations.
Key topics at the conference include sustainable transport as a contributor to achieving the UN SDGs, rural transport challenges and opportunities, sustainable transport solutions to the climate crisis, public transport in the 21st Century with regard to transporting passengers and freight in a sustainable manner, sustainable transport solutions for countries with special circumstances, and relevant energy and transport issues.
The forum also tackles multimodal sustainable transport and transit solutions through rail, marine, land and air transport connectivity, as well as topics on financing sustainable transport infrastructure for enhanced connectivity and international cooperation between public and private sectors to meet global transport needs that are currently estimated at $1-$2 trillion. The conference also discusses Vision Zero and the road to a new era of traffic safety by expanding safe passenger and freight transport systems using modes that are less harmful to humans as well as by implementing national road safety strategies and plans.
A summit on transportation business is being held on the sidelines of the conference.
