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The world road transport organisation, IRU, intervened on key policy debates of the highest UNECE Inland Transport Committee meetings and si
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Inland Transport Committee (ITC) 2025 focused on the successes and challenges for inland transport on the road to 2030. Discussions centred on enhancing sustainable regional and interregional transport connectivity and advancing decarbonisation.
IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto addressed the high-level ministerial opening session on the severe consequences of red tape at border crossings, “Trucks drivers are being stranded at borders for days on end, even weeks, often without access to hygiene and sanitary facilities.
“We have the tools and UN conventions at our disposal to make road transport more efficient, such as e-CMR, eTIR and the Harmonization Convention. We often hear talk about sustainability, but efficient borders are key to achieving it. Having our drivers and trucks stuck at borders, held hostage, blocking trade, idling and emitting emissions, is the antithesis of sustainability.”
“The good news is that we have the tools, conventions and technologies needed to boost the sustainability of transport. These are not future technologies. They’re tried-and-tested instruments. We must stop talking and start acting by effectively implementing them,” he added.
Central Asia’s pivotal role
IRU Director of TIR and Transit Tatiana Rey-Bellet spoke at the event "SPECA Region at the Crossroads of Europe and Asia: Advancing Interregional Connectivity in the Development of Sustainable Multimodal Routes", co-organised by Turkmenistan and UNECE.
UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean opened the event. Speakers emphasised the crucial role of the SPECA region (Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia) in facilitating east-west connectivity and trade routes.
Tatiana Rey-Bellet highlighted the growing role of TIR in the region, with Uzbekistan, a double landlocked country, maintaining its position as the top TIR issuer for several years. TIR usage has also risen by 52% in Turkmenistan and 29% in Azerbaijan.
“Many countries are optimising the balance between trade efficiency and security by establishing TIR Green Lanes, a practice now adopted by nearly all Central Asian countries,” she said.
Tatiana Rey-Bellet also presented the new concept of IRU-accredited TIR logistics hubs, five of which opened in China in 2024. They consolidate all essential transit services – such as customs clearance, warehousing and cargo handling – under one roof.
Looking ahead, all speakers stressed the importance of the SPECA Roadmap on the Digitalisation of Multimodal Data and Document Exchange, endorsed in November 2023, with particular emphasis on the rollout of eTIR in 2025. Read more
Source: IRU
