Transport for Sustainable Development – The case of Inland Transport
The way forward
Sustainable transport is safe, high-quality, and accessible to all, ecologically sound, economically viable, and a positive contributor to local, national and international sustainable development. Specific goals for sustainable transport may include: improved service quality and quality of access to goods and services, decreased transport related accident and crime rates, improved air quality, noise reduction, protection of natural habitat and open space, historic preservation, reduced local and GHG emissions, increased social equity, economic development, and a satisfying quality of life, as well as local goals consistent with the overall objective. Economic, social and environmental sustainability can only be achieved through an integrated inland transport system. When water, road and rail transport work together, the comparative advantage of each mode can be exploited optimally. Integration of transport systems is a complex task with many dimensions. The optimal modal split of freight and passenger transport depends on countries’ geographic, demographic, economic and historic conditions. Cooperation across transport modes, regions and borders as well as between public and private operators is needed. Creating an efficient integrated transport network requires international collaboration. The United Nations Regional Commissions provide platforms for intergovernmental cooperation and address the sustainability of transport, across its five key areas — accessibility, affordability, safety, security, environmental impact — through a variety of legal instruments, analytical work and technical assistance, as well as through their governance structures. At the beginning of 2015, a total of 1,701 accessions by countries from six continents to the 58 United Nations legal instruments on transport were being serviced by UNECE. Continued and strengthened international cooperation through the United Nations Regional Commissions will be an important step in securing a future transport sector that strongly contributes to attaining sustainable development goals.
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