A comprehensive road map on sustainable transport was presented at a special briefing today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Focusing on the results of the first UN Global Conference on Sustainable Transport held in Ashgabat in November 2016, the briefing was organised by the Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the United Nations in cooperation with IRU and its public-private Global Partnership for Sustainable Transport (GPST), UN DESA and UN OHRLLS.
Released as the “Ashgabat Process for the Advancement of Sustainable Transport”, the road map is grounded in the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was developed by the Government of Turkmenistan with technical advice and support from the GPST.
Ambassadors to the UN from Austria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and high level representatives from China and UN Secretariat, expressed their support for the road map. They underlined the need to take into account special interests of land-locked countries, as well as African countries. They further recommended implementing a holistic approach using three key elements of sustainability – environmental, social and economic.
Chairing the meeting, H.E. Ambassador Aksoltan Ataeva said, “Transport has become a serious factor in geopolitics, a powerful resource of integration capable of ensuring greater economic and political benefits to states and regions, as well as promoting compatibility of their strategic interests.”
Igor Runov, Under Secretary General who leads IRU’s work with the United Nations in New York, emphasised the need to focus on realisation of the guidelines and recommendations adopted by the UN Conference on Sustainable Transport on certain principles, including inclusiveness, multimodality, governmental support and minimising financial costs.
Photo (from left to right): Igor Runov, IRU Under Secretary General and Head of IRU Permanent Delegation to the UN; Gladys Mutangadura, UN OHRLLS Senior Programme Officer; H.E. Aksoltan Ataeva, Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the UN; Azat Sahetmyradov, Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the UN, Attaché.