The main objective of this project is to enhance international cooperation and planning towards sustainable transport policies.
Its achievement is expected to result from capacity building initiatives organized for policy makers and training activities for technical experts, leveraging on the development of a modelling tool capable to assist users in the selection of the most appropriate and effective measures to reduce CO2 emissions in the inland transport sector (including road, rail and waterways except national and international aviation and maritime transport: CO2 emissions caused by international aviation and maritime transport are excluded from its scope).
Since this modelling tool is meant to foster sustainable transport policies For Future Inland Transport Systems, it is named ForFITS.
ForFITS characteristics
ForFITS will be developed as a software tool that will allow for the estimation of emissions in transport and the evaluation of transport policies for CO2 mitigation at the regional, national and/or local level.
The tool is meant to be freely available for all UN Member States.
Project development
A questionnaire (available in Arabic, English, French, German, Russian and Spanish) has been developed in 2011. It was distributed worldwide with the assistance of all UN Regional Commissions to provide inputs for the preparation of a global review on existing statistical data, policy measures and assessment tools concerning CO2 emissions in transport, released in April 2012 in a draft version. The definition of a draft methodology of the ForFITS tool was also released in April 2012. An International Expert Meeting, aimed to disseminate information and to receive feedback on the draft documentation, but also to share experiences and explore possible synergies, was also held in April 2012.
These efforts are now helping us to prepare a single document that we will use as a reference for the ForFITS model.
The subsequent project development phase includes the development and implementation of a model prototype (late 2012), a piloting-out phase involving specific trials in the different regions (early 2013), capacity building workshops (late 2013), as well as training activities for policymakers and technical experts (also in late 2013). The workshops and training sessions will take place in all five UN Regional Commissions.
Background
2008 | The UNECE Transport Division called on the UN Development Account (UNDA) for funds to build this project together with all UN Regional Commissions |
2009 | |
2010 | The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) approved a Project Document describing in detail the major phases and activities of this three-year project |
2011 | Official project launched during a video conference involving all UN Regional Commissions |
The tasks and responsibilities of the lead entity and the other Regional Commissions have been finalized and included in specific Terms of References
Contact us
Project manager: Mr. Romain Hubert
e-mail: romain.hubert(at)unece.org
UNECE links
Climate Change and Transport, International Expert Meeting (24 April 2012)
Other links
IPCC, MDG, UNFCCC - Kyoto Protocol
