Towards a sound governance of transport: UfM Secretariat participates in the global 2017 ITF Summit
Leipzig, 2 June 2017. UfM Deputy Secretary General Ihab Fahmy participated in the 10th Annual Summit of the International Transport Forum (ITF) – OECD, held in Leipzig, Germany from 31 May to 2 June 2017.
The summit gathered Transport Ministers from around the world, heads of key international organisations, international financial institutions and CEOs of major companies, as well as parliamentarians and academics. It was a good occasion to exchange knowledge, build on existing synergies and explore opportunities for cooperation with potential partners and stakeholders. It also provided the opportunity to present UfM activities towards establishing a UfM Regional Platform on Transport Connectivity.
To this end, UfM Deputy Secretary General Fahmy held several bilateral meetings with high-level government representatives, international organisations and IFIs including Pim Van Ballekom, Vice President of the European Investment Bank; José Viegas, Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum; Umberto de Pretto, Secretary General of the International Road Transport Union; Alain Flausch, Secretary General of the International Association of Public Transport; Michael B. Christides, Secretary General of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, José Luis Irigoyen, Senior Director of the World Bank Group.
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”.
The ITF’s 2017 Summit addressed strategic issues across all transport modes over three days of debates and networking events, engaging 1,400 participants from 80 countries. This year’s edition on Governance of Transport explored the trends shaping transport governance and identified the most pressing challenges in the transport sector. The summit focused on infrastructure, global connectivity, the adequate regulation for innovation, and urban access and mobility.
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