Beirut-Amman, 10 December 2019 (ESCWA)--Today, the 20th session of the Committee on Transport and Logistics of ESCWA concluded with a number of recommendations that seek to improve the situation of transport in the Arab region.
 
Among these recommendations, representatives of ESCWA member States agreed on availing from the Guidelines on Road Safety Management Systems (in Arabic), from the Road Safety Fund to initiate projects that help improve road safety in small and medium income countries, and on encouraging participation at the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety on 19–20 February 2020.
 
In his opening remarks, Director of the Economic Development and Integration Division in ESCWA, Mohamed El Hacene, highlighted the growing importance of transports and logistics amid global developments in international trade, and the increasing demands of fast international transportation, which leads to the increase of demands in logistics to meet the needs of international trade.
 
He added that  the fast-technological developments resulting from the Fourth Industrial Revolution will have a major impact on all aspects of life, particularly transport and logistics, such as rapid transit, clean transport, and electric transport.
 
Participants discussed road safety and challenges related to the implementation of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, the Belt and Road initiative and its implications on the region. ESCWA also highlighted during the meeting a study in progress on the  transition to digital economy and its impact on the sector, as well as the costs of trade in the region.
 
Established in 1997, the Committee on Transport and Logistics convenes once a year to support member States to advance transport in the region and monitor the progress achieved.

Photo credit: Jack Jamkartanian, Lebanon

 
For more information:
-Ms Rania Harb, Public Information Assistant, ESCWA, +961-70-008-879; email: harb1@un.org