This week, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) recognized the growing significance of sustainable transport as a key building block of sustainable development by designating a new Action Network on Sustainable Transport. This is ninth Action Network to be recognized by UN DESA. These are action-oriented communities where stakeholders collaborate and share information on sustainable development topics and campaigns. They help catalyze actions among stakeholders to implement concrete policies, plans, programmes, projects.
The Action Network is focused on promoting sustainable, low-carbon transport, especially in the developing world by supporting actions to foster improved financing of projects, better policy coordination and governance, and communications among stakeholders. The Network will provide a framework for ongoing reporting on the Rio+20 commitments , including the $175 billion pledged to be spent over the next decade for more sustainable transport by the world’s eight largest multilateral development banks.
“Taking sustainable transport strategies to scale requires strengthening the global framework of cooperating institutions and communications between our networks,” said Michael Replogle, ITDP’s Managing Director for Policy and Founder. “ITDP helped launch and nurture the Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport over the past three years, working with it to help advance sustainable transport strategies at multilateral development banks and among national governments and UN agencies. We’re pleased to see its impact grow as the foundation for this new UN-recognized Action Network,” he said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon identified sustainable transport as a key building block for sustainable development in his Five Year Action Agenda for his second term. He is expected to announce a new high level panel to address sustainable transport soon. This will help mobilize resources and institutional support for wider development of such things as world-class bus rapid transit systems, improved cycling and walking, traffic management, green freight, and national sustainable transport initiatives. The Action Network website will provide a window into these ongoing activities and accomplishments.
The efforts of the Action Network for Sustainable Transport will be important in advising the UN on replacement of expiring Millennium Development Goals with possible new Sustainable Development Goals and a new global framework for addressing climate change in coming years. For more information, visit the UN Sustainable Development website.