Belt & Road: IRF to lead the Green & Sustainable Transport Committee

IRF (Geneva) was pleased to support again this year the World Transport Convention (WTC) organised by China Highway & Transportation Society (CHTS) – an esteemed member of IRF - in Beijing on 13th-16th June 2019. WTC offered the background for hosting the plenary session of The Belt & Road Transport Alliance (BRITA) during which IRF has signed agreement to lead the Green & Sustainable Development Committee. The World Transport Convention (WTC) - at its third successful edition this year - is becoming
September 4, 2019 Read time: 3 mins
1201 IRF Geneva was pleased to support again this year the World Transport Convention (WTC) organised by China Highway & Transportation Society (CHTS) – an esteemed member of IRF - in Beijing on 13th-16th June 2019.


WTC offered the background for hosting the plenary session of The Belt & Road Transport Alliance (BRITA) during which IRF has signed agreement to lead the Green & Sustainable Development Committee.

The World Transport Convention (WTC) - at its third successful edition this year - is becoming an increasingly influential event in China and an international platform nurturing, stimulating, demonstrating and implementing transportation innovations for government officials, practitioners, and academia. Under the theme “Green and Intelligent Mobility for Future Transport”, the event gathered this year 6,000 delegates. The impressive opening ceremony welcomed Ministers, Deputy Ministers and senior officials from a variety of countries around the world and key international organisations.

IRF’s delegation was headed by Susanna Zammataro, IRF director general. Addressing the plenary of the Belt & Road Transport Alliance (BRITA), Zammataro said, "As highlighted during the Second Belt & Road Forum in Beijing in April 2019, international cooperation and coordination plays and will play a key role in furthering the positive effects of the BRI. We, as the International Road Federation, are well placed to act as catalyst to bridge, foster and coordinate the required 360 degrees partnerships. With our broad range of members and widespread expertise, IRF has been successfully acting as an interface between governments, international bodies, multi- development banks and the private sector for over 70 years. We are at the forefront of creating enabling frameworks and providing insightful data and expertise to allow deeper analysis on the key issues our sector is facing.” She stressed, “We need to think ‘system’ and look at developing diversified and distributed transport systems. We need to develop pragmatic, balanced, flexible policy and regulatory schemes that can spur innovation, including green innovation in all its forms. We need to develop policies that drive collaborations because that’s what success will largely depend upon. We need to reduce transaction costs by harmonising standards and procedure.”

Zammataro thanked the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) of China for the invitation to join the BRI International Green Development Coalition as a partner and to further serve as a Lead partner of the Green Transportation Thematic Partnership of the Coalition. “We trust that the International Green Development Coalition will allow us to contribute even further towards enabling the BRI to deliver sustainable transport for Eurasia and beyond and the achievement of economic, social and environmental goals," she concluded. Speaking later on at the Belt & Road Summit hosted also in the framework of WTC, Zammataro provided some insights on how to deliver climate resilient road infrastructure along the Belt & Road.

• If you wish to get involved in the Belt and Road Transport Alliance or the Green Transportation stream of the BRI International Green Development Coalition, please contact IRF Secretariat at [email protected]

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ITF helping to plot the future of urban transport mobility
    December 2, 2013
    The 8th APEC Transport Ministers’ Meeting in Tokyo on 4-6 Septembersaw high-level discussions on how to enhance connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region through high-quality transport. As a guest, the International Transport Forum (ITF) was also heavily involved in the event, as Guy Woodford reports A transport Connectivity Map visualising Asia-Pacific’s ideal transport network in 2020, and a Quality Transport vision for the region encompassing convenience, safety, security, and sustainability, will b
    Read More
  • IRF deploys eLearning solutions to promote best practices
    May 4, 2020
    The International Road Federation was founded in 1948 with a mission to promote the exchange of best practices and the transfer of technologies from those who have it to those who need it. Seven decades later, this mission remains just as relevant, and at a time when many transportation professionals are unable to travel, IRF is redoubling efforts to develop eLearning programs which allow professionals to access a pool of knowledge resources without the need to travel.
    Read More
  • PPRS in Nice – a focus on maintenance initiatives, says Eiffage chief
    March 9, 2018
    Road transport is an essential element of the mobility of people and the transport of goods. Thus, maintaining the road infrastructures in good condition and constantly adapting them to the needs of the public and businesses has become an imperative. “The upkeep and modernisation of road networks is an important part of Eiffage Group's business in France and abroad,” says Benoît de Ruffray, chief executive of Eiffage. “In recent years, we have witnessed a significant reduction in road maintenance budgets as
    Read More
  • Times they are a changing
    July 23, 2012
    Construction in China still appears to be on course for growth even with the gloomy economic outlook, as it enjoys "a strong budgets position." Patrick Smith reports One thing is certain in the current global economic climate: nothing is certain. And while China has not been unaffected by the economic events of recent months it has, according to Robert Zoellinck, president of the World Bank, a very strong current account and budgetary position. For some years, the nation has enjoyed double digit growth (the
    Read More

Highlighted Content