IRU - Congress Highlights - Closing Ceremony

Congress Highlights - Closing Ceremony - Ministerial Addresses

	Pavol Prokopovic, Minister of Transport, Post & Telecommunications, Slovakia "The Slovak Republic and the Association of Slovak Road Haulers, ČESMAD Slovakia monitor the development of road transport in the world with great interest since this transport mode will play a more and more important role in the growth of global trade exchange. Slovak carriers steadily look for possibilities of increasing their share in the carriage of goods and passengers on the international road transport market." More...
	Binali Yildirim, Minister of Transport & Communications, Turkey
	Antonin Tesarik, State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Czech Republic "We need to find a suitable alternative to the private car. An integrated, multimodal public transport network ensuring door-to-door services should be further developed."
	Csaba Zsolt Horvath, Under Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Hungary " Road transport is a key engine to economic development and growth."
	Boguslaw Liberadzki, Member of the European Parliament, Poland "Road Transport has again proven its dynamics and vitality and responds to modern industry's requirements and customers' demands."
	H.E. Mohammad Bokharaie, Deputy of Minister & Head of Road Maintenance & Transportation Organization, Islamic Republic of Iran "The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its readiness on extending further transport cooperation along the North-South and East-West corridors and strongly believes that through overall cooperation among countries and international organizations, sustainable growth and world peace will be realised."
	Valentin Dragan, Deputy Minister of Transport, Moldova "International road transport is a key element of the socio-economic progress and cooperation between Moldova and its neighboring states. The Ministry’s activity is aimed at preserving the dynamics and consistency of the contacts with our foreign partners, protection and strengthening the position of Moldova in international road transport organizations as well as the European transport market. Close cooperation with international organizations – mainly with the IRU – is of vital importance for the international image of our country as a reliable partner."
	Yaarub Al-Rudaini, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Transportation, Iraq "More cooperation is needed between countries and transport associations to reduce the existing discrepancies in transport related policies and regulations in different countries across the world." "An active part is needed of the IRU and its Members to provide consultation and advice to bring important change in the field of transport in Iraq."
	Dr Dieter - Lebrecht Koch, Member of the European Parliament "In the EU-member states with the White Paper of September 2001 and the third action programme for Road safety, we took steps to achieve the target of halving the number of road fatalities by 2010. In 2005, only 8,000 more lives were saved than in 2001, which fell far short of what we hoped to achieve. It is all the more important to push for developments within the e-safety programme which should make our cars vehicles safer for ourselves and for others."
	Volodia Kirov, Director General, Ministry of Transport, Bulgaria "The geographic location and the topography of our country determine the important role of the road transport in the economic development of Bulgaria. In the conditions of growing globalization and future membership in the EU, the requirements towards the profession become higher, especially as to quality, rapidity and competitiveness of the transport services. I would like to share with you my admiration of IRU’s audacity to prove to the world that the future of the road transport industry doesn’t depend on distances but on the ability of positive thinking and the wish to be useful regardless of all difficulties and the size of the challenge."
	Namsrai Nayamdavaa, Director General, Dept. of Transport Policy and Coordination, Mongolia "We are convinced that we will get assistance and support from the IRU in the future."
	Dr. Nabil Safwat, Team Leader, Transport Globalisation & Regional Integration Division (UNESCWA) "The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) promotes economic and social development through regional and sub-regional cooperation and integration in Western Asia. The facilitation of transport and trade has recently acquired additional significance in the light of such contemporary developments as globalisation. As an integral part of it activities, ESCWA resolved to work on the harmonisation of regional road network specifications by preparing the Agreement on International Roads in the Arab Mashreq (the “Roads Agreement”). This would facilitate the flow of goods and passengers among and across the countries of the region. This Agreement covers more than 31,400 kilometres of international roads."
	Marios Meletiou, Transport Specialist (Ports and Transport), ILO "The ILO, founded in 1919, has a unique tripartite structure within the UN system, with employers and workers participating as equal partners with governments. IRU, as an employers’ organization in the road transport sector is an important partner of the ILO as the representative employers’ organization in road transport, which the ILO would consult with on pertinent matters. Currently, the IRU is providing the ILO with substantial support in its efforts to organize a tripartite sectoral meeting on labour and social issues arising from problems of cross-border mobility of international drivers in the road transport sector. The 30th IRU World Congress in Dubai focused on the “Links” to a number of important issues pertinent to road transport. The ILO would like to emphasize one more “link” of a broader nature: the link to social dialogue in road transport. " More...