Transport

Due to their geographical location, the world’s 32 Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) are facing common problems that negatively affect their economic engagement with the rest of the world. Long distances from the nearest seaports, inadequate transport and transit systems multiple border crossing and cumbersome transit procedures cause the LLDCs to incur higher transport and transit costs when compared to coastal countries. 

The global transport sector has the highest reliance on fossil fuels of any sector. In 2021 it accounted for almost one fourth of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The road transport sector, including passenger cars, buses, heavy and light duty commercial vehicles, is the major GHG contributor of the transport sector, accounting for approximately 77% of global transport related GHG emissions.  

Meeting for the first time since the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) was created in 1998, the Heads of State and Government of SPECA participating States adopted the Baku Declaration. The declaration endorses a roadmap for the digitalization of multimodal data and document exchange along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and welcomes plans to establish a dedicated SPECA Multi-Partner Trust Fund.  

The Summit marked the end of SPECA Week organized by Azerbaijan as the 2023 Chair to mark the Programme’s 25th anniversary. 

Cargo carriage by rail between Europe and Asia will be made easier, quicker and thus cheaper thanks to the adoption of a new United Nations Convention unifying applicable legal rules.   

Until now, rail transport of goods from Asia to Europe was not covered by one uniform legislative system, putting rail at a disadvantage compared to other means of transport (road transport is subject to the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR), maritime transport covered by the Hague Visby Rules and air traffic covered by the Montreal Convention).  

The UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety (Special Envoy) will travel to China to meet representatives from various sectors, advocating for effective implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 with an aim of halving the

The majority of the buses and coaches currently in use worldwide are not equipped with safety-belts. And if they are, they are equipped with safety-belts designed to protect adults by means of 2-point or 3-point harness seat belts. These types of safety-belts are not suitable for use on and by children because they could lead to serious injuries and event fatalities in road crashes.  

The UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, is visiting Saudi Arabia to meet Ministers and stakeholders from the private sector, calling for further actions to address the challenge of road safety. While Saudi Arabia has made significant progress in tackling its traffic safety problem, road crashes remain one of the greatest causes of injury and fatality in the country. 

16 October 2023 – The UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, is gearing up for a crucial mission to India, where road safety challenges persist at alarming rates. According to the WHO, one of every 10 road deaths globally occurs in India. The visit, scheduled from 16-20 October, aims to address the pressing concerns and advocate for evidence-based interventions, drawing attention to the urgent need for substantial improvements in road safety, through both the private and public sectors.