FIA PRESIDENT ADDRESSES UNITED NATIONS IN GENEVA CALLING FOR ACTION AROUND INLAND TRANSPORT AND MOBILITY

Bahrain News Gazette

13-02-2025

Geneva, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FIA PRESIDENT ADDRESSES UNITED NATIONS IN GENEVA CALLING FOR ACTION AROUND INLAND TRANSPORT AND MOBILITY
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, addressed the UN Inland Transport Committee as an integral part of its 87 th Session: Success and Challenges for Inland Transport in the Road to 2030
Ben Sulayem called on delegates and global leaders to continue their efforts and increase international cooperation efforts
The Session marked the mid-point of the ITC 2030 Strategy
Speaking at the Palais de Nations in Geneva, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, addressed the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Inland Transport Committee (ITC) during its 87 th Session.
The Session, Success and Challenges for Inland Transport in the Road to 2030, marks the mid-point of the ITC 2030 Strategy and provides the opportunity to review the implementation of the Strategy to date, while discussing the ambitions, successes, and challenges on the path to achieving the strategic objectives.
The ITC Strategy until 2030 is focused around four pillars, whilst also stipulating road safety as a special priority:
Development of regional and global inland transport conventions
Support to new technologies and innovations
Support to regional, interregional, and global inland transport policy dialogues
Promotion of sustainable regional and interregional inland transport connectivity and mobility
Addressing the Ministerial Session, Ben Sulayem called for action, urging the delegates in attendance to continue their work in making cross-border travel smoother, customs clearance faster, and hazardous goods transport safer.
Calling on global leaders to bolster international cooperation efforts, he said: 'We much accelerate implementation, strengthen enforcement, and deepen public-private partnerships. Connectivity must not be a privilege – it must be a right.'
Setting out the clear priorities, Ben Sulayem asked the Session to focus their attention on:
Digitalisation of transport procedures: The full implementation of eTIR and eCPD to cut delays and lessen administrative burdens via innovative technological solutions
Investment in sustainable infrastructure and fuels: With climate-related risks projected to reach $122 billion, transport corridors must align with decarbonisation goals
Stronger public-private partnerships: Leveraging expertise from international organisations and industry leaders, uniting in shared knowledge and continuing the momentum created by the near 1,800 partnerships – many in transport – that are already in place in Europe with a worth of $336 billion
Concluding his address, the FIA President said: 'I have dedicated decades to advancing sustainable and connected mobility, and I know what is possible when we turn agreements into actions – and action into lasting change. Now is the time to deliver.'
The ITC is the UN platform to help efficiently address global and regional needs in inland transport. Over the last 75 years, together with its subsidiary bodies, the ITC has provided an intergovernmental forum, where UNECE and United Nations Member States come together to forge tools for economic cooperation and negotiate and adopt international legal instruments on inland transport.
The UNECE is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and was established to promote economic cooperation and integration.
About Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motorsport and the federation of the world's leading motoring and mobility organisations.
Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris and Geneva, the FIA is a non-profit organisation. It brings together 245 motoring and motor sport club members from 149 countries across five continents. Its Member Clubs represent millions of motorists, mobility users and motor sport professionals and volunteers.
The FIA is a central player in upholding the principles of safety and freedom of mobility and defending mobility's role as an enabler of sustainable development, with actions focused on three key levers.
Advocating for the reduction of barriers preventing road users from making more sustainable and safe transport choices
Raising awareness and providing data for consumers and policymakers to encourage environmentally responsible behaviour
Accelerating energy efficiency and low-emission technologies
In motor sport, it administers the rules and regulations for all international four-wheel sport, including across all 7 FIA World Championships, to ensure fair, capably regulated and safe events are conducted in all corners of the globe. In the realm of Mobility, the FIA aims to ensure that safe, affordable and clean systems of transport are available to all.