The fifteenth session of the Committee on Transport represented a continuation of the efforts made by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in the field of transport, given the effective role of transport in achieving regional integration. At this session, the Committee reviewed the progress made in that regard since its fourteenth session, which was held in Amman on 9 and 10 October 2013.

The Committee also followed up on the implementation of the components of the Integrated Transport System in the Arab Mashreq (ITSAM) pursuant to ESCWA resolution 279 (XXIV) of 11 May 2006, with a view to facilitating trade and transport between countries of the region and achieving regional integration. ITSAM comprises the following components: (a) Agreement on International Roads in the Arab Mashreq; (b) priority routes M40 and M45; (c) Agreement on International Railways in the Arab Mashreq;(d) Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Transport Cooperation in the Arab Mashreq; (e) national committees for the facilitation of transport and trade; (f) road safety; (g) ITSAM methodological framework; (h) the related geographical information system; (i) multimodal transport; and (j) institutional frameworks and legislation.

The status of the implementation of ITSAM in ESCWA member States continues to be a major item on the agenda of the Committee, along other related issues of importance to the Arab countries. At the current session, the review of progress made covered two components, namely the Agreement on International Roads in the Arab Mashreq and the Agreement on International Railways in the Arab Mashreq. The component on institutional frameworks and legislation was addressed at the fourth meeting of the Working Group on the Harmonization of Institutional Frameworks and Legislation in the Transport Sector in the ESCWA Region. The Working Group considered proposed terms of reference for a study to be conducted to assess the status of transport legislation in the Arab region. The ESCWA secretariat updated the proposed terms of reference to reflect the recommendations made by representatives of member States during the third meeting of the Working Group, which was held in parallel with the fourteenth session of the Committee on Transport.
Further information and details are available in the documents of the 15th session of transport committee here attached.