Collaboration needed to address inland transport challenges
─ Min Edghill on ITC’s 75th Anniversary
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, said a coordinated approach is needed to address the challenges of inland transport. He said transport plays an important role in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Much like the coordinated approach taken worldwide to address the COVID-19 pandemic, Bishop Edghill said the same could be done for transport.
He made the statement Tuesday, as he delivered the keynote address on the 75th anniversary of the Inland Transport Committee (ITC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Therefore, integrated approaches to policy making are imperative, including planning for land use, infrastructure development, public transport systems and goods’ delivery networks for the provision of affordable, efficient, safe and secure transport, improving energy efficiency, and at the same time reducing pollution and congestion.”
He said transport holds the supply chain together, noting that without an economically stable plan in place, a lot of capital will be lost. The minister highlighted that lack of such a plan also means higher cost of living
“Our collective and sustained efforts as governments and multilateral institutions must be to craft transport policies and allocate the financial and other resources in the most appropriate areas to stem or reduce these effects on our global existence,” the Minister stated.
The signing of the Ministerial Resolution, Minister Edghill said, will move the spectrum from words to firm actions.
Meanwhile, Minister Edghill told the meet that the transport sector remains a major contributor to CO2 emissions and is necessary to assess its trends and projections concerning carbon emissions and energy use. The high use of diesel he noted is prevalent in Latin America.
“As we embark on the next steps for implementing the Global Plan for sustainable inland transport, every stakeholder – including and especially all our governments and multilateral institutions must leverage our strengths and influences and take honourable actions in this decade that will have a lasting positive impact on the macro-economic stability of our livelihoods today and for generations to come,” Minister Edghill.
The 75th anniversary of the Inland Transport Committee (ICT) was held under the theme “ushering in a decade of delivery for sustainable inland transport and sustainable development.”