ESCWA is convening the 11th session of its transport committee on Monday 22 March 2010 at the UN House, Beirut, to facilitate trade and transport and achieve regional integration. The session is held under the auspices of Lebanese Minister of Transport Ghazi Aridi.
The Session will be inaugurated at 10:00 AM, and continue until Wednesday 24 March. Opening statements will be delivered by Aridi or his representative, ESCWA Executive Secretary Bader AlDafa, and Palestine representative Mahmoud Khaled, in his capacity as the former chairperson of the session.
The Committee will discuss transport issues in the Arab Mashreq, namely dealing with the progress achieved in implementing the components of the Integrated Transport System in the Arab Mashreq (ITSAM), and more precisely the agreement on International Roads and the agreement on International Railways. The Committee shall open the floor for voting on the draft proposal for the formation of a working group on the harmonization of institutional frameworks and legislation in the transport sector in the ESCWA region. Also on the Committee’s agenda is the election of its new office, the programme of work for the biennium 2010-2011 in the field of transport, and other matters.
The meeting shall bring together high-level representatives of member countries, namely from ministries and relevant government institutions, alongside experts in related fields. Experts in institutional frameworks and transport-related legislation will also be present, with the representatives of concerned regional and international bodies such as the Islamic Development Bank, Al Jazairi Transport, Arab Railway Union, Arab Union of Maritime Carriers, Federation for Freight Forwarders and Logistics.
The UN Information Services kindly requests media institutions to grant this meeting the highlight it deserves.