Advancing Sustainable Urban Mobility
Dubai, 24 September 2017.- UfM Deputy Secretary General Amb. Ihab Fahmy participated in the Open House and Transport Report Launch Event, organised by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 24 September 2017. He also addressed the UITP MENA Executive Committee, which is responsible for overseeing and providing strategic direction for UITP activities in the MENA region.
In addition to presenting the key findings of the Transport Report and the most important developments in public transport in MENA cities, the event gathered key players in urban mobility from both the public and private sectors. The event proved to be an excellent occasion to exchange knowledge, build on existing synergies and explore opportunities for cooperation with potential partners and stakeholders, as well as to present UfM activities in the urban and transport sectors. During their bilateral meeting, UfM Deputy Secretary General Fahmy and UITP Secretary General Alain Flausch agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both organisations before the end of the year with the aim of enhancing sustainable urban mobility in the Mediterranean region.
In his speech and during bilateral meetings held on the margins of the conference, UfM Deputy Secretary General Fahmy emphasized that the UfM Secretariat has built-up a common development agenda for the UfM Member States with the aim of establishing an efficient, integrated, interoperable and sustainable transport infrastructure network in the Euro-Mediterranean region. He also highlighted the key role the UfM plays in translating political decisions into concrete actions with tangible impacts on the region’s citizens, through its activities, projects and initiatives, as well as how the UfM’s regional agenda contributes to the global agenda and to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG-9 to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”.
Deputy Secretary General Fahmy also stated that “transport systems in urban areas should provide inclusive access to services and sustainable mobility solutions for their rapidly expanding populations. There is also a need to secure access and mobility through well-developed
transport infrastructure, as well as to improve the efficiency, reliability, safety, resilience and environmental performance of all transport modes, thus paving the way towards a more sustainable transport sector, facilitating trade and ensuring a smooth flow of goods across the Euro-Mediterranean region.”
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