Distinguished DelegatesLadies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to address you here today at this important Transport Action Event.
Sustainable transport is one of the key enablers of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
It allows for the mobility of people and goods, thus:• enhancing economic growth,• improving livelihoods and access to quality services, such as health, education and finance, and• reinforcing connectivity at all levels.
At the same time, many challenges remain, such as the lack of access to all-weather-roads – especially in developing countries – and rising casualties and deaths from traffic accidents.
At the same time, nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions come from transport. These emissions are projected to grow significantly in the years to come, further aggravating climate change. Other pollutants, most obviously in cities, directly impact health.
Predicted population growth and increased urbanization will enhance these challenges and pose new ones. As has been demonstrated by today’s event, the need for low carbon, resilient and inclusive transport solutions is more apparent than ever.
Distinguished Delegates,
While there is no standalone goal for transport in the 2030 Agenda, the issue is explicitly included in some SDG targets. It is also implicitly connected to many other SDGs. Sustainable transport and climate change have also been featured at both the Climate Action Summit and the SDG Summit, convened during the UN General Assembly high-level week this past September. Both events followed up on landmark achievements from 2015 – in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Agreement.
Recent scientific assessments presented at these meetings noted that progress is too slow to achieve many of the SDGs and their targets, including on sustainable transport and climate change.
In the case of green-house gas emissions, the trend is not even going in the right direction. We will have to depart from a business-as-usual scenario. The time window to make the necessary changes is short – just ten years.
That is why the SDG Summit and the Secretary-General have called for a Decade of action to deliver on the SDGs. Accordingly, the theme of next year’s High-level political forum is “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.
Excellencies,
One opportunity to make an important impact is next year’s second Global Sustainable Transport Conference. This conference, convened by the United Nations Secretary-General, will take place from 5 to 7 May 2020 in Beijing, China.
I have been designated as the Conference Secretary-General to lead preparations on behalf of the United Nations. The Conference will bring together key stakeholders from Governments, UN system and other international organizations, the private sector, and civil society.
All modes of transport - road, rail, aviation and waterborne - will be addressed, and recent scientific and technological advances will be deliberated. The concerns of vulnerable groups and of developing countries, will receive particular focus. Key transport objectives – such as access for all, green mobility, low carbon solutions, efficiency and safety – will be discussed.
The Conference itself will comprise plenaries, parallel thematic sessions and special forums. These forums – the Ministers’ Forum, the Business Forum and the Science, Engineering and Technology Forum – will highlight game changing contributions from different stakeholders.
The official programme will be complemented by side events, field visits and an exhibition. The outcome of the Conference will be a forward-looking visionary statement calling for global action to further advance sustainable transport worldwide.
There will also be a Conference summary, and a compilation of voluntary commitments, partnerships and initiatives to support sustainable transport.
These outcomes will support the follow up to other important recent Conferences – such as the Climate Action Summit, COP25, and the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety. They will also be an important input into subsequent events, including the High- level Political Forum and COP 26 in 2020.
The Conference website contains further details. I invite you all to consult it regularly.
Distinguished delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,
As Conference Secretary-General, I will ensure that we will work together, with all stakeholders, to make the second Global Sustainable Transport Conference a success.
Let us use this unique opportunity to enhance sustainable transport worldwide as a crucial enabler of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
We hope to see many of you in Beijing next May.
Thank you.
It is a great pleasure to address you here today at this important Transport Action Event.
Sustainable transport is one of the key enablers of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
It allows for the mobility of people and goods, thus:• enhancing economic growth,• improving livelihoods and access to quality services, such as health, education and finance, and• reinforcing connectivity at all levels.
At the same time, many challenges remain, such as the lack of access to all-weather-roads – especially in developing countries – and rising casualties and deaths from traffic accidents.
At the same time, nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions come from transport. These emissions are projected to grow significantly in the years to come, further aggravating climate change. Other pollutants, most obviously in cities, directly impact health.
Predicted population growth and increased urbanization will enhance these challenges and pose new ones. As has been demonstrated by today’s event, the need for low carbon, resilient and inclusive transport solutions is more apparent than ever.
Distinguished Delegates,
While there is no standalone goal for transport in the 2030 Agenda, the issue is explicitly included in some SDG targets. It is also implicitly connected to many other SDGs. Sustainable transport and climate change have also been featured at both the Climate Action Summit and the SDG Summit, convened during the UN General Assembly high-level week this past September. Both events followed up on landmark achievements from 2015 – in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Agreement.
Recent scientific assessments presented at these meetings noted that progress is too slow to achieve many of the SDGs and their targets, including on sustainable transport and climate change.
In the case of green-house gas emissions, the trend is not even going in the right direction. We will have to depart from a business-as-usual scenario. The time window to make the necessary changes is short – just ten years.
That is why the SDG Summit and the Secretary-General have called for a Decade of action to deliver on the SDGs. Accordingly, the theme of next year’s High-level political forum is “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.
Excellencies,
One opportunity to make an important impact is next year’s second Global Sustainable Transport Conference. This conference, convened by the United Nations Secretary-General, will take place from 5 to 7 May 2020 in Beijing, China.
I have been designated as the Conference Secretary-General to lead preparations on behalf of the United Nations. The Conference will bring together key stakeholders from Governments, UN system and other international organizations, the private sector, and civil society.
All modes of transport - road, rail, aviation and waterborne - will be addressed, and recent scientific and technological advances will be deliberated. The concerns of vulnerable groups and of developing countries, will receive particular focus. Key transport objectives – such as access for all, green mobility, low carbon solutions, efficiency and safety – will be discussed.
The Conference itself will comprise plenaries, parallel thematic sessions and special forums. These forums – the Ministers’ Forum, the Business Forum and the Science, Engineering and Technology Forum – will highlight game changing contributions from different stakeholders.
The official programme will be complemented by side events, field visits and an exhibition. The outcome of the Conference will be a forward-looking visionary statement calling for global action to further advance sustainable transport worldwide.
There will also be a Conference summary, and a compilation of voluntary commitments, partnerships and initiatives to support sustainable transport.
These outcomes will support the follow up to other important recent Conferences – such as the Climate Action Summit, COP25, and the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety. They will also be an important input into subsequent events, including the High- level Political Forum and COP 26 in 2020.
The Conference website contains further details. I invite you all to consult it regularly.
Distinguished delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,
As Conference Secretary-General, I will ensure that we will work together, with all stakeholders, to make the second Global Sustainable Transport Conference a success.
Let us use this unique opportunity to enhance sustainable transport worldwide as a crucial enabler of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
We hope to see many of you in Beijing next May.
Thank you.
File date:
Saturday, December 7, 2019