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Supported by IRU, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Transport, in his capacity as COP29 transport lead, and ministers from around the world have committed to advancing the Middle Corridor as a model for sustainable, interconnected, digital and resilient development.
At the dedicated COP29 Transport Day, ministers and international representatives from Chile to China discussed measures to make the vital Middle Corridor more sustainable as it manages the rapidly growing share of Eurasian freight volumes.
Speaking at the beginning of the ministerial roundtable, IRU’s Secretary General invited attending ministers to visit border crossings along the Middle Corridor for a realistic picture of sustainable development challenges.
IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said, “While we speak about sustainable development here, on the ground, our drivers and trucks are often held up for days, sometimes weeks, at borders. When our trucks are stopped, your economies are blocked, our drivers are essentially held hostage as they have no choice but to wait, all while inching ahead to not lose their place in the long queues, wasting fuel and, hence, emitting unnecessary CO2 emissions.”
“But there is hope. Pragmatic efficiency measures, such as those outlined in IRU’s Green Compact, and existing trade facilitation tools like the UN road transport conventions can address this challenge and boost the sustainability of corridors,” he added.
In a joint communique, ministers agreed that in addition to hard infrastructure needs, digital connectivity will raise the development of corridors to the next level. IRU, which was instrumental in supporting the Azeri COP29 transport leadership in developing the communique, had also included a special focus on the full implementation of eTIR and e-CMR to increase efficiency and reduce CO2. Read more
Source: IRU
