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The Fourth Ministerial Conference on Transport
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Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand and Permanent Representative to the UNESCAP, C.A. Chaminda I. Colonne
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The Fourth Ministerial Conference on Transport of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP) was convened in hybrid mode in Bangkok from 14 -17 December.
Following the opening statements by Thailand Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob and UNESCAP Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand and Permanent Representative to the UNESCAP, C.A. Chaminda I. Colonne chaired the Ministerial Conference on 16 December after being elected as one of the Vice Chairs of the Bureau.
Indonesia’s Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi who was elected as the Chair of the Ministerial Conference handed over the proceedings to Ambassador and Permanent Representative Chaminda Colonne.
The Ministerial Roundtable was moderated by Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana and attended by Ministers/Deputy Ministers of Transport of Thailand, Nepal, Fiji, Uzbekistan, Russian Federation, China and Republic of Korea. Ministers/Deputy Ministers of Transport of Maldives, Nepal, Turkey, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Russian Federation, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and representatives from Japan, Bhutan, Iran, USA, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and Asian Institute of Transport Development (AITD) addressed the Ministerial Conference.
Delivering the country statement, Sri Lanka’s Transport Minister Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi, highlighted that as a long-standing member of the UNESCAP, Sri Lanka is committed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and transport is one of the sectors that can contribute immensely towards realising these goals. She added that National Policy Framework of the Government gives high priority to transport sector in realising the importance of having a more reliable, efficient and sustainable transport system and bridging the gap of urban rural divide.
During the Ministerial Conference strategies for scaling up sustainable transport initiatives in Asia and the Pacific to strengthen regional cooperation, assess the implementation of the Regional Action Program for Sustainable Transport Connectivity in Asia and the Pacific, phase I (2017-2021) were discussed, and the Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Transport Development in Asia and the Pacific, including a new regional action program (2022-2026) aligned with the three pillars of sustainability and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development were adopted.
