BACKGROUND
The advisory group at its sessions held in June and September 2020, provided inputs to a UNECE secretariat document entitled: “Taking stock of the resilience of the inland transport sector to pandemics and international emergency situations” (available in Russian and French as well) that was subsequently submitted to the UNECE Inland Transport Committee at its 83rd session in February 2021. These inputs are also reflected in an official UNECE publication entitled “Inter-Modal Transport in the Age of COVID-19 – Practices, Initiatives and Responses” which was launched at the ITC in February too and provides a comprehensive overview of UNECE supported efforts to help Member States build pandemic-resilient transport systems.
The ITC at its 83rd Session considered the aforementioned working document and decided “to prolong the work of the Advisory Group for one more year until February 2022” and “to enhance cooperation between working parties, and bet ween the ITC and other specialized agencies of the UN System, including IMO and ICAO contributing to a better coordinated delivery of programme of work and increased interoperability”.
Finally, at its session in February 2021, a Ministerial Resolution entitled “Enhancing resilient inland transport connectivity in emergency situations: an urgent call for concerted action” (February 2021, ECE/TRANS/304, Annex I) was adopted by Member State signatories. Its endorsement by ITC affirmed the unique strengths of the Committee and articulated an urgent call for the contracting parties to take concerted action in the face of international emergencies, in terms relevant to the Committee’s mandates.
PURPOSE AND RATIONALE
It is with the above in mind that this third session of the multidisciplinary advisory group is being organized. The session will gather representatives of ministries of transport, health and customs officials from across the ECE region as well as representatives of the maritime and aviation sectors. Inter alia, the purpose of the meeting will be to identify commonalities and lessons learned in the way that the maritime, aviation and inland transport (sub-)sectors have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and how they have handled the many challenges at hand.
The main question to be addressed at the meeting will be, “Are we as international transport sector ready for a next pandemic, and if not, what needs to be done in order to get there?”. Participation of various Chairs and Vice Chairs of UNECE transport mode specific Working Parties as well as counterparts from other transport sectors and partner organizations will allow for an extensive round of cross-sectoral exchanges. Recommendations and proposals emerging from the meeting will feed into an official document which will be submitted for consideration by the 34th Session of the UNECE Working Party on Transport Trends and Economics (WP.5) taking place in Geneva on 15-17 September 2021 and following guidance received will be resubmitted to the ITC at its 84th Session in February 2022.
CONTACT INFORMATION
In case you experience problems with the online registration process please contact Ms. Maria Mostovets. For requests regarding the agenda, please contact Mr. Roel Janssens/ WP.5 secretary at [email protected].