STATEMENT BY Ms. DANUTA HÜBNER, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE
at the OECD Conference on Environmentally Sustainable Transport,
Vienna, 4 October 2000
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Many historical references have been made today proving that we are talking about a
well-established pan-European process. Allow me to make also a reference to a more recent
event. Three years ago, here in Vienna, Ministers for Transport and Ministers for the
Environment from all over Europe met to agree on the common problems that Europe faced and
to adopt a Declaration and a Programme of Joint Action for solving them. This was the
first event of this kind, a major step forward, and much has happened since. Still the
remaining challenges are enormous.The OECD work on Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) has illustrated that
transport can be made sustainable, but it will take many years. We know, however, that the
longer we wait for a change, the more expensive the path towards sustainability will be.
And it has become evident that we must attack the problems from all sides. It is an
intergovernmental, and a multisectoral process, but also a process for which we need
partners in development - civil society, business and international organizations. And we
need a long-lasting political momentum. I see three key areas for action where this momentum is critically needed.
Sector integration
The process that was initiated in 1997 here in Vienna has started to make transport and
environment authorities at all levels cooperate more closely. The United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) is grateful for the contribution by many other
organisations, including OECD, ECMT, WHO and UNEP, and not the least to our member states,
our host country included, for having taken the lead to implement activities adopted in
Vienna in the Programme of Joint Action. This conference also serves as a contribution to
the implementation of an activity foreseen under the Programme of Joint Action and I wish
to express my sincere gratitude to the organizers for having invited all UN/ECE Member
States, including those not members of the OECD. Perhaps less visible, but equally noteworthy, are activities initiated to implement the
Programme of Joint Action at the national level. We have now established national focal
points on transport and environment in 44 Member States of the UN/ECE and this alone has
fostered coordination between the authorities of the two sectors. But many countries have
gone further and initiated specific programmes to implement the decisions taken in Vienna.
I just want to mention one example of a country, which has its capital only some
seventy kilometres away from here: the Ministers of Transport and the Environment of the
Slovak Republic adopted a Joint Action Plan drawn up on the basis of the Vienna Programme
of Joint Action. The Plan lists more than sixty short and medium-to-long-term actions and
the responsibilities for implementing these in the different sectors together with a
detailed budget totalling almost 3 million EURO. I am convinced that, by initiating
activities like these, the Vienna Conference has made a valuable contribution.We all know, however, that only if our work reaches the very practical level of
implementation, will we be able to make a difference. The implementation of emission
standards, the use of fiscal measures, the restriction of vehicle use in special areas,
the development of combined transport, the promotion of public transport and the
development of strategic environmental impact assessments are just a few of the many areas
where work has started under the Programme of Joint Action and where further progress is
necessary at all levels.The Vienna process has been strengthened this year through the creation of an ad hoc
expert group that will discuss priorities and assist countries and the lead actors in the
implementation of the Programme of Joint Action. We are now planning for the mid-term
review of the Programme in 2002. This will give the possibility to examine progress made
and, if necessary, redirect some of the activities under way or initiate new ones. Planned
as a high-level meeting between the UN/ECE Inland Transport Committee and the Committee on
Environmental Policy, the mid-term review will bring these two sectors further together.Since Vienna 1997, a major breakthrough in our efforts for a more integrated approach
has been created by the London Conference on Environment and Health organised by WHO. It
has added the health sector to the work on transport and environment and helped to create
further political momentum to move the work ahead.
I believe that there is a need to go still further and integrate also the work on urban
and land-use planning into this process as policies in this area play an important role in
bringing us towards sustainability. Such process has to be intensified and extended to all
levels including the local authorities. The Meeting of Ministers responsible for Human
Settlements development in the ECE region confirmed ten days ago the commitment by the
governments – in the form of a ministerial declaration – making human
settlements part of sustainable development.
Targets for reducing environmental effects
We all know that much of the pollution is linked to air pollution which is
transboundary in nature. In this respect, I would like to highlight the recent Protocol to
the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution to Abate Acidification,
Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone, which was adopted in Gothenburg at the end of last
year. This agreement is probably the most sophisticated environmental agreement to date.
It is based on extensive scientific cooperation and the measures it prescribes are clearly
directed at the attainment of environmental sustainability criteria – both for health
and ecosystems. Once the Gothenburg Protocol is implemented, the two air pollutants to
which transport contributes so much, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds are
expected to be reduced by 40 % in Europe. What matters is that the Protocol foresees
review mechanisms that will allow measures to be tightened until eventually we reach a
situation where our environment is fully protected.In a related area, a preliminary assessment, which UN/ECE conducted together with WHO,
has concluded that as many as 100 to 400 thousand premature deaths in Europe can be
associated to long-range transported particulate matter. A timetable leading towards
policy negotiations on this issue has been drawn up under the Convention on Long-range
Transboundary Air Pollution. Action on fine particulates in Europe is being prepared
jointly with the European Union, the US and Canada, and this should continue. We are
committed to give high priority to this work. I am convinced that we all appreciate their
usefulness of internationally binding legal instruments for our work in this area.
Sustainable transport in urban areas
In addition to the ECE work in human settlements, to which I referred, we have been
requested by the London Conference to prepare a report, together with WHO, on further
action on transport, environment and health. The report will be finalised over the coming
weeks and will be presented to a high-level meeting bringing together the transport,
environment and health sectors in spring 2001. One outstanding feature of this report will
be the proposal to our member states to start negotiations on a new framework convention
on transport sustainable for the environment and health which would help local authorities
to develop transport systems for their citizens that provide the necessary access to goods
and services without compromising their health and environment.
Conclusion: Call for joint and coordinated action
To conclude let me say that the EST project has presented to us a clear vision of the
future. It demonstrates in which direction we must move and how far we still have to go.
It has also provided examples which illustrate that sustainable transport can be achieved.
The longer we wait, however, the more our societies will have to bear the costs of
continued environmental damage and suffer the consequences of their health.Technical solutions to our problems can bring us a long way forward and should be
further pursued. But analysis shows that, by themselves, technical fixes are not
sufficient to make transport sustainable. Some of the changes needed are more fundamental,
requiring changes in thinking and in some basic habits. The changes will affect lifestyles
and require very solid political support. They have to be presented with a clear vision of
the future to effectively create an awareness among the public and thereby move towards a
healthy society for future generations. For that we need partners in the business
community and in the civil society. Working together is a must.The UN/ECE is committed to continue and strengthen its contribution through the work of
both its environment and transport divisions, and to work in close collaboration with all
our partners towards the vision that has been so well developed by the OECD.
Thank you very much.