Dear colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour for me to open this United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Sustainable Transport.
At the outset, I would like to thank our hosts, Ms. Tatiana Molcean, Executive Secretary of ECE and her team.
The fabric of the modern world is based on transport – it extends markets and links economies and societies. It serves as a cross-cutting accelerator, which can fast-track progress towards crucial goals such as eradicating poverty, reducing inequality, empowering women, and combatting climate change.
As such, it is vital for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Agreement. And it is especially crucial for connecting those regions and people who face the most difficulties in accessing and benefitting from mobility services including Small Island Developing States and Land-locked Developing Countries.
However, key challenges stand in the way.
Road traffic injuries remain the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29, causing human suffering and putting a great economic burden on economies.
Transport accounts for half of global oil demand and a quarter of carbon emissions from fossil fuels. And these emissions have doubled in 30 years.
By mid-century, more than two-thirds of all people will live in cities, but only half of the world’s urban population has adequate access to public transport. Massive expansions of transport infrastructure will be needed.
Likewise, one billion people lack access to all-weather roads, even while congestion and air pollution adversely affect health and economic productivity.
Much more ambitious actions and smart choices are needed across industries, modes of transport, infrastructure, and vehicles. We must work together to reshape transport to truly drive sustainable development and prosperity.
In September this year, world leaders came together for the SDG Summit in New York committing to reinvigorate progress towards the SDGs. Sustainable transport action must be a key part of this.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sustainable transport is high on the United Nations agenda. This year, the UN General Assembly declared an annual World Sustainable Transport Day. Next April, a high-level event on sustainable transport will be convened in the General Assembly. My hope is that these events will strengthen our collective resolve and ambition for sustainable transport.
Today’s Expert Group Meeting will be a first step. Your ideas will ultimately contribute to making transport more sustainable with smooth connectivity between all our countries, so that no one will be left behind.
Against this background, I encourage you to think outside the box. Be ambitious and bold in shaping your recommendations.
I thank you all for your efforts and wish you fruitful deliberations.