Skip to main content

Argentina, Israel and Morocco join International Transport Forum

In a key development, Argentina, Israel and Morocco are joining the International Transport Forum (ITF). The decision was made at a summit of international transport ministers held in the German city of Leipzig, who unanimously approved membership of the countries. Of particular note is the appointment of Morocco, the first full ITF member country from Africa. Housed by the OECD in Paris (France), the ITF is an intergovernmental organisation that acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the
June 4, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
In a key development, Argentina, Israel and Morocco are joining the 1102 International Transport Forum (ITF). The decision was made at a summit of international transport ministers held in the German city of Leipzig, who unanimously approved membership of the countries. Of particular note is the appointment of Morocco, the first full ITF member country from Africa.

Housed by the OECD in Paris (France), the ITF is an intergovernmental organisation that acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the Annual Summit of transport ministers. ITF is the only global body that covers all transport modes. This decision takes the number of ITF member countries from 54 to 57.

Previously, Morocco was an observer country since the creation of ITF in 2006. “Morocco’s accession will be a plus for the Forum. It is also a positive development for Morocco,” said Mohamed Najib Boulif, Morocco’s deputy minister of Transport. “The geostrategic position of Morocco in the Mediterranean, in Africa, in the MENA region: these are all strategic assets for Morocco’s participation.”

Israel joins the ITF after becoming a member of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2010. “Israel is keen to contribute to the work of the ITF, and to be inspired by it,” said Moshe Kamhi, Director of Economic International Organisations in Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of Israel’s accession.

Argentina is the second ITF member country from South America, following the accession of Chile in 2012. Argentina has been actively involved with the ITF’s permanent working group on road safety (known as 3444 IRTAD) since 2009. It has been a leading force in establishing the Ibero-American Road Safety Observatory (OISEVI), for which IRTAD operates a Spanish-language database with road crash information.

Simon Bridges, minister of Transport of New Zealand, the 2015 ITF presidency country said, “New Zealand welcomes Morocco, Argentina and Israel to the International Transport Forum. The expanded membership of the ITF promises the opportunity to promote an increasingly global outlook for the work of the ITF.”

ITF secretary-general José Viegas also expressed his satisfaction at the accession of the three countries. “ITF is the global, all-modes transport organisation. These three new members make the ITF even more global, and they bring significant transport experience to the table,” said Viegas. “We will be working with the governments of Argentina, Israel and Morocco to ensure that they get value for their policy making out of their membership.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Major highway project planned for Morocco
    January 10, 2013
    Work on a new 172km highway is underway in Morocco. Financing worth US$706.7 million is being budgeted for the new highway, which will connect Berrechid-Beni with Mellal. The new highway will have two toll booths and three rest areas. The project is due for completion in 2014, with the first stretch in the Tadla-Azilal area expected to open to traffic June 2013. The new highway is a key link in the Moroccan Government’s planned road network for the country. This is aimed at ensuring all towns and villages i
  • IRF Manifesto on Climate Change Adaptation released at COP22
    January 30, 2017
    Released in Morocco during COP22 negotiations, the document has generated enthusiasm in the sector and gained the support of partner organisations beside the endorsement from IRF Geneva membership around the world Under the leadership of the Moroccan Government, adaptation and action on adaptation has gained centre stage at COP22 hosted in Marrakech from 8 to 18 November 2016. As climate change and the threats its poses become increasingly apparent, it is also becoming clear that the transport sector is
  • Highway Care International expands its presence in Australia
    May 10, 2016
    Highway Care International, a UK provider of road safety products, has launched Highway Care Australia, based in Sydney. "Highway Care has had a positive presence in Australia since 2006, when BarrierGuard 800 was first introduced,” said international sales director Ben Duncker. “We expanded the team last year to include local sales and technical support and we appointed a product manager, Wayne Duckworth, a specialist in work zone safety products and an experienced point of contact for the region."
  • Innovative projects at IRF Awards luncheon
    February 22, 2013
    Since the launch of the IRF Global Road Achievement Awards (GRAA) program in 2000, our main objective has been to showcase innovation and leadership in the global road industry,” noted IRF president & CEO Patrick Sankey, as he opened the luncheon. “We are extremely proud our Awards Program has become an industry reference for innovators across the globe.” IRF Chairman Abdullah Al-Mogbel offered his congratulations to the award winners, noting, “…the award winners provide an inspiring example of the ingenuit