Skip to main content

Ministers vow on global transport connectivity

Transport Ministers from 53 countries have agreed a ‘common declaration’ to improve global transport connectivity. The formal declaration text, in which ministers agree that the “seamless transport is a powerful and ambitious strategic vision for the future of transport systems”, was approved at the Annual Summit of the International Transport Forum (ITF) in Leipzig, Germany. The declaration also states that seamless transport “drives the development of better mobility and sustainable economic growth”, an
May 4, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Transport Ministers from 53 countries have agreed a ‘common declaration’ to improve global transport connectivity.

The formal declaration text, in which ministers agree that “seamless transport is a powerful and ambitious strategic vision for the future of transport systems”, was approved at the Annual Summit of the 1102 International Transport Forum (ITF) in Leipzig, Germany.

The declaration also states that seamless transport “drives the development of better mobility and sustainable economic growth”, and notes that sustainable transport systems are important for economic prosperity, environmental protection, safety and security of society.

“The International Transport Forum once again underlined that it is the worldwide, leading platform to discuss transport issues”, said Michael Kloth, acting secretary-general of the ITF. “We are glad about the commitment of our member countries to cooperate even closer to reduce inefficiencies at the seams between transport modes, jurisdictions, systems, sectors and countries. In this way, the transport sector can become a real driver for economic growth.”

The Ministerial meeting also welcomed Chile as the 54th member country of the ITF. The country is the first from South America to join the global transport policy body.

In their meeting, Ministers also elected Professor José Manuel Viegas from Portugal as secretary-general-elect of the ITF. Viegas is expected to take up his office this summer, taking over from acting secretary-general Michael Kloth.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IRF Geneva appointed to the Board of The Belt & Road Transport Alliance
    September 12, 2018
    IRF (Geneva) was amongst the key stakeholders invited to attend the Belt & Road Transport Alliance (BRITA) preparatory meeting held in Beijing, China on 18th June. BRITA is a platform to enhance multilevel and wide-ranging cooperation between the countries along the Belt and Road. The meeting was held prior to the official opening of the World Transport Convention 2018 (WTC 2018) hosted by CHTS and officially supported by IRF (Geneva) for the second time. IRF (Geneva) has actively supported the shaping of
  • Movin’On by Michelin sets the stage for the Mobility of the Future
    September 4, 2019
    IRF (Geneva) was pleased to partner and lead some of the sessions of the 2019 edition of the Movin’On Summit, the world summit on sustainable mobility. The successful third edition hosted about 5,000 visionaries from 44 countries between June 4th and 6th, 2019, in Montreal, Canada and discussed new and actionable solutions to move from ambition to action. Created and inspired by Michelin, the event was produced by the Movin’On Sustainable Mobility Fund, with C2 International as the organising partner. U
  • Prepare for ‘interoperability on steroids’
    May 19, 2023
    The gathering of Europe’s toll professionals offers a chance for views to be exchanged by senior people on a number of big issues: and there’s currently an awful lot to think about
  • Connected vehicles: implications for road networks and mobility
    May 15, 2019
    Mobility services are expected to undergo spectacular changes within the next two decades with the introduction and widespread use of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology. However, the transition phase from human driving to self-driving will be gradual, requiring incremental interventions on the physical and digital road network to allow it to cope with mixed vehicular traffic. Cities such as Dubai have embraced the challenge by setting a target to reach 25% driverless trips by 2030 as part o