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

  • Active travel can drive urban economic growth and save health funds
    November 7, 2012
    Experts in health, city planning, environment and transport from Europe and the United States, including several local authorities, stressed how active travel can drive urban economic growth and save public health funds during a recent prestigious workshop event in Brussels, Belgium. Integrating health aspects in transportation planning was the focus of The Polis Environment & Health working group meeting at the European Economic and Social committee on 30th October. The event gathered experts from organisa
  • India’s road to safety
    September 5, 2012
    India's growth rate is the envy of the world, and its infrastructure is rapidly improving, but its road safety record is the world's worst. Patrick Smith reports on a conference aimed at finding answers to the problems Ambling through the gardens and marble magnificence that is the Taj Mahal or gazing down on the city of Jaipur from the hilltop Jaigarh Fort is far removed from the world outside.
  • Road safety event for Latin America
    October 22, 2018
    The sixth Ibero-American Road Safety Congress was held in Spain’s capital Madrid recently, aiming to boost road safety in a range of countries. In all 300 experts from 15 countries attended the event, analysing solutions to achieve more sustainable roads and streets. Attendees included Peru’s minister of the interior, the Spanish minister of Public Works, the Director of the World Bank for Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. There is a strong need for road safety improvements across Latin America. In 2017, 2
  • CECE-CEMA hands 10-point action manifesto to Euro leaders
    October 17, 2013
    The presidents of the CECE and CEMA have handed the European Parliament a 10-point manifesto for securing strong industrial production across Europe. Doing this, the European construction equipment and agricultural machinery industries underlined that they are committed to playing an active role in reaching the target of the European Commission to raise the share of industry in Europe from 16% GDP to at least 20% by 2020. Both industries maintain important production facilities and R&D sites in Europe.