EATL Project

The Euro-Asian Transport Links (EATL) project is a joint undertaking between the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). In close cooperation with designated national focal points from 18 countries in the Euro-Asian region, the EATL project has identified main Euro-Asian road and rail routes for priority development and cooperation. An Expert Group established under the project proved to be a good cooperation mechanism for the coordinated development of coherent Euro-Asian inland transport links. Results of this work are available in the EATL Study produced jointly by UNECE and UNESCAP.

This UNECE-UNESCAP endeavor is part of a wider United Nations Development Account (UNDA) project on capacity building in developing interregional land and land-cum-sea transport linkages, implemented by the five United Nations Regional Commissions. The aim is to assist Member States in strengthening their national capacities to develop interregional transport linkages and to promote interregional cooperation to facilitate trade and tourism.

Phase I of the project was carried out from 2002 to 2007. UNECE and UNESCAP have elaborated a joint proposal for a Phase II to be implemented during a four-year period from 2008 to 2012.

Participating countries include Afghanistan , Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The Government of Mongolia has expressed interest in joining the Euro-Asian project.