IRU’s Secretary General and UNECE’s new Executive Secretary held their first meeting today, reinforcing the two organisations’ long-standing partnership, with an eye on the future of road transport.
Umberto de Pretto and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE’s) new Executive Secretary, Tatiana Molcean, discussed the TIR system, the road to net-zero emissions and the UN World Sustainable Transport Day during their first meeting.
The two organisations have been working together for 75 years to improve trade and road transport, notably with the TIR system, the longest-standing UN public-private partnership. IRU has been the United Nations’ designated partner for the implementation of the TIR Convention since its adoption.
Umberto de Pretto and Tatiana Molcean discussed the need to accelerate the digitalisation of TIR and CMR to further maximise their contribution to safe, efficient and green road transport.
Beyond the TIR system, the two organisations have worked closely as partners on many issues over the past 75 years, driving global road transport standards.
Umberto de Pretto shared the road transport industry’s roadmap to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, as outlined in IRU’s Green Compact. Based on a scalable approach, the Green Compact allows all regions to decarbonise road transport as rapidly and effectively as possible.
IRU outlined key road transport opportunities with global transport ministers and industry leaders at China’s Global Sustainable Transport Forum in Beijing.
The Forum, hosted by China’s Ministry of Transport, brought together some 1,000 participants from China and abroad to exchange on sustainable development plans and promote international cooperation in the transport sector, in line with advancing the 2030 agenda.
IRU Director of TIR and Transit Tatiana Rey-Bellet gave a keynote speech at the plenary session promoting connectivity in the digital age, highlighting IRU’s efforts in advancing TIR, other UN conventions and global standards to enhance connectivity.
Tatiana Rey-Bellet also moderated the session “Common development: Leaving no country or no one behind”. The speakers weighed solutions to road transport connectivity imbalances among various countries and groups, and how sustainable transport can contribute to our common development.
IRU also participated in the Ministerial Roundtable, “Global governance, building a global sustainable transport partnership”.
Li Xiaopeng, China’s Minister of Transport, chaired the roundtable with over 20 ministerial-level transport officials and high-level representatives from international organisations. The speakers shared their experiences in developing sustainable transport with in-depth exchanges on strengthening global transport cooperation.
China-Europe corridors
IRU co-hosted a side event together with the China Transport Telecommunications and Information Center on emerging opportunities and challenges along major road transport corridors connecting China and Europe.
The event was attended by transport and customs authorities, IRU members, logistics companies, development organisations and research institutions from countries along east-west corridors.
Han Jinghua, the Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Transport of China, recognised the benefits of TIR in his opening remarks, highlighting that the implementation of the UN’s TIR Convention in China has improved conditions for the development of international road transport between China and Europe.
He also emphasised that China will continue to prioritise China-Europe international road transport cooperation. China aims to gradually enhance transport and trade facilitation along China-Europe corridors by driving both hard and soft infrastructure, accelerating the building of international road corridors, and optimising China’s international road transport agreements.
IRU members AIRCUZ, BAMAP, CRTA, CEVA Logistics and ZZHY also shared their experiences, insights and best practices related to the development, resilience and diversification of China-Europe corridors.
75th anniversary and New Industry Shapers
Following the Forum, a special event was organised to mark IRU’s 75th anniversary with members, transport and trade figures, as well as ten IRU New Industry Shapers from the region: unique individuals and innovators leading the industry into the future.
IRU New Industry Shaper
Finally, a signing ceremony was held for IRU’s Charter 75, an industry pledge reinforcing the road transport industry’s commitment to help people in times of crisis.
They say road transport is the backbone of the economy. And there’s a reason for that.
Road transport is a vital means of delivering goods to people, connecting businesses and supporting economies.
Goods come in many shapes and sizes and are transported across various distances.
As the only door-to-door solution, road transport’s versatility allows it to cover both long and short distances, from long-haul to last mile deliveries.
Without trucks, freight transport will grind to a halt.
Trucks transport about 77% of the EU’s total freight volume.
But this – already high – figure is based on the amount of weight moved over a distance, known as the tonne-kilometre (tkm) measure.
This approach, by definition, tilts the figures in favour of modes that move heavy weights over very long distances.
If freight transport volumes were measured in monetary terms, the share of road transport would be much higher. To measure sustainability more accurately, relevant monetary measurements should be favoured over the distance and weight approach.
These measures, whether in tkm or monetary terms, illustrate the indispensable role of trucks in getting goods to people and keeping supply chains ticking.
However, truck operations are under threat by the chronic shortage of drivers.
As reported in IRU’s driver shortage surveys in recent years, the truck driver profession has an ageing population, with a limited share of both young people and women.
Without action to improve the accessibility and attractiveness of the profession, transport operations – and the people, communities and economies that rely on them – could be under significant threat in the years to come.
But there are proven solutions to prevent the shortage from escalating.
Solutions include harmonising the minimum driving age at 18, subsidising licence and training costs for new drivers, and building more safe and secure truck parking areas.
The Briefing breaks down EU road goods transport trends, offering insights into the national versus international transport split, freight volume distribution by country, type of goods and distance travelled, and much more.
IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto and H.E. Engineer Hamad Essa Abdulla, Qatar’s Ministry of Transport Acting Assistance Undersecretary for Land Transport Affairs, held high-level talks in Geneva on key road transport challenges.
Qatar’s Ministry of Transport is committed to eliminating all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, with a special focus on reducing human error, the leading cause behind more than 85% of road accidents.
To support safety and quality in commercial road transport, IRU and Qatar’s Ministry of Transport have been championing professional excellence. The two have partnered to introduce road transport regulations and internationally recognised standards, including rules and best practices for the transport of dangerous goods.
Following the activation of the TIR system in Qatar in 2021, IRU has been working closely with Qatari authorities and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry to boost transit efficiency and cement Qatar’s position as a state-of-the-art trade and transit hub in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Transport efficiency is also central to achieving the road transport industry and Qatar’s objective of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, as set out in IRU’s Green Compact and the Transportation Master Plan for Qatar 2050.
