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Inland Transport Committee to discuss the transformational changes needed to achieve inclusive and sustainable transport and mobility

Inland Transport Committee to discuss the transformational changes needed to achieve inclusive and sustainable transport and mobility

The challenge of the transition to sustainable mobility and transport and the role UNECE Inland Transport Committee (ITC) can play in addressing it will be at the heart of the discussions of the 76th annual session of ITC. Senior government officials, international transport organizations, the transport industry, as well as non-governmental organizations will gather at the 76th session of the ITC from 25 to 27 February in Geneva to promote solutions for strengthening the resilience of transport systems, mitigating the effects of the transport sector on climate change, addressing the growing transport safety crisis in the world, to decide on a number of regulatory and normative changes.


The high-level policy segment on “Innovations for Sustainable Inland Transport and Mobility” will be on 25 February, where leading specialists will offer a rare glimpse into the “crystal ball” of the future of mobility. Among the panellists, Ron Medford (Director of Safety Self-Driving Cars, Google[x]), will analyse the advantages of self-driving cars. Reiner Höger, (Director of Engineering Governance, Continental) will scrutinize the challenges and promises of automated driving. Veit Steinle (Director-General, Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure of Germany) and Seija Miettinen-Bellevergue (Senior Advisor, Ministry of Transport and Communications of Finland) will outline successful government responses to the fast-paced deployment of innovations. Professor Victor Doenin, (Head of the Chair "Intelligent Transport Systems", Moscow State University of Railway Engineering) will argue on the sustainability advantages through the use of intelligent transport services. Carlo van de Weijer (Director, Strategic Area Smart Mobility, Technical University of Eindhoven and Royal Institute of Engineers in the Netherlands) will examine the requirements for successful mobility management. Alexandre Prina (Directeur de la planification générale, République et canton de Genève) will unfold Geneva’s vision and plan for sustainable mobility until 2030. Vladimir Soloviev (Academic Secretary of Scientific Council, Head of the Department of Information Technology, Moscow State University of Railway Engineering) will describe the new and enhanced role of railways. Mr André Schneider (Vice-Président, Vice-Présidence pour la Planification et la Logistique de l’EPFL) will moderate the discussion. The policy debate is expected to contribute to the globally ongoing negotiations throughout 2014 on the post-2015 Sustainable Development framework, which will consider how to integrate sustainable mobility and transport into the Sustainable Development Goals, if at all.


Sustainable mobility and transport are at the core of the activities of the UNECE ITC, a unique inter-governmental policy-making body specialized in inland transport (road, rail, inland water and inter-modal transport, transport of dangerous goods, vehicle regulations, border crossing facilitation). The work of the ITC and its subsidiary bodies is based on three pillars: regulatory work and policy dialogue; technical assistance and capacity building; and analytical activities.


The key topics of the agenda of the 76th session include: intensifying mitigation of environmentally harmful effects of inland transport; strengthening resilience to the impact of climate change on national and international transport networks; enhancing the safety of workers and the general public during handling and transportation of containers at sea and on land by endorsing a key regulation on packing of cargo (CTU code); ensuring that vehicles meet environmental, safety and security standards through the promotion of Whole Vehicle Type Approval; promoting safety and efficiency for road, rail, inland water and combined transport; strengthening border crossing facilitation; and strengthening safety regulations in the transport of dangerous goods and special cargoes.


United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

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