The Ministerial Conference on Transport held in December 2021 encouraged implementation of the regional approach on enhancing shift towards sustainable freight transport. To support its implementation, general principles on enhancing shift towards sustainable freight transport were considered by the Committee on Transport at its seventh session held in November 2022.
The Committee on Transport at its 7th meeting in November 2022 in its Decision 5 endorsed the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Freight Transport in Asia and the Pacific to further promote freight sustainability in the region.
The issue of enhancing freight sustainability is inherently challenging and therefore needs continual engagement by stakeholders. The central action in this regard would be to reinforce and implement the existing mandates on deepening freight sustainability. Therefore, considering the guidance received during various intergovernmental meetings on the matter, the lessons learned and the issues identified during national consultations on sustainable freight for pilot countries, 10 guiding principles for sustainable freight transport in Asia and the Pacific have been developed to consolidate priority actions on sustainable freight as related to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals
The guiding principles are primarily addressed at those developing policies on freight transport in ESCAP member States and are aimed at: (a) deepening the linkages between policies and strategies on freight transport and the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by consolidating priority actions on sustainable freight transport; (b) ramping up funding, technical assistance and capacity-building on sustainable freight transport through partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaborations; and (c) fortifying the political affirmation for urgent measures to deepen freight sustainability in Asia and the Pacific in the decade of action and delivery for sustainable develop