United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) / Regional Economic Commissions (including United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC)), UN age

Building capacities of developing countries to shift towards sustainable freight transport (UNDA project). The project aims to strengthen the capacity of policy makers (in transport, infrastructure and finance), transport operators (in rail, road, shipping and ports from public and private sector), and key financial institutions, in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean to promote and finance sustainable freight transport (SFT), including maritime transport (shipping and ports) through developing sound transport policy measures and adequate financing actions and mechanisms.Sustainable freight/maritime transport entails the ability to promote sustainable transport policies, planning strategies, and investment decisions that balance the economic, environmental and social objectives. This is particularly crucial for developing countries as their developmental stages allows them to integrate sustainability criteria at early stages of freight/maritime transport planning, investment and development. Building freight/maritime transport that is sustainable promotes, among other efficiency gains and dividends, energy efficiency, reduced transport costs, limited environmental damages and climate change. The Sustainable Freight Transport Toolkit (SFT Toolkit) developed under the project includes the following three components: 1) A Training Package encompassing training and reference material, as well as case studies on sustainable freight/maritime transport development and finance, including specific models of Public Private and Partnerships, 2) A Web Portal featuring a compilation of relevant information/experiences and an inventory of SFT measures taken by countries and industry to promote sustainable freight/maritime transport and its financing, and, 3) UNCTAD SFT Framework, which provides a modular, step-by-step methodology, to help freight/maritime transport stakeholders from the public and the private sector design, formulate and implement SFT strategies. All materials developed under the project will be widely disseminated for use by all countries in all regions.