Major achievements in 2005
Since its creation in 1947 the UNECE has elaborated a regulatory framework
for the whole inland transport system of the UNECE region. This framework
consists of a large number of international Agreements and Conventions,
which provide for coherent pan-European infrastructure networks,
safe vehicles and safe traffic rules, and simplified border crossing procedures.
Work includes regulations that reach out far beyond the UNECE boundaries,
some of them being actually global. In 2005, the number of countries
that became Parties to these international UNECE transport Agreements
and Conventions continued to increase – 16
new accessions to legal instruments were registered, of which 7 were from
countries not members of UNECE. These Agreements and Conventions are being
constantly updated and expanded by the Commission.
The package of amendments to the 1968 Conventions on Road Traffic
and on Road Signs and Signals as well as to the 1971 European Agreements
supplementing them were accepted in September 2005 and will enter
into force in March 2006. They include the prohibition of the use of mobile
phones while driving and the reduction of the maximum admissible
limit of alcohol in drivers’ blood
from 0.8 to 0.5 g/l. A recommendation on roadside police controls was adopted
and work continued on safety belts, driving under the influence of alcohol,
drugs and medication, motorcycle and moped safety, pedestrian safety and
other issues.
The UN General Assembly, in a resolution adopted on 26 October 2005 on improving
global road safety, stressed the importance of the improvement in the international
legal road traffic safety norms, and welcomed the substantial package of amendments
to the 1968 Conventions on Road Traffic and on Road Signs and Signals prepared
by UNECE.
The General Assembly also invited the UN regional commissions and
the World Health Organization to organize jointly the first United Nations
Global Road Safety Week to serve as a platform for global and regional,
but mainly national and local activities to raise awareness about road safety
issues.
Legal and technical work of the UNECE in 2005 also included the elaboration
of an additional Protocol to the Convention on the Contract for the
International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR). This Protocol, prepared
in cooperation with UNIDROIT and UNCITRAL, is aimed at introducing an
electronic consignment note.
The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations adopted
two new UNECE Regulations annexed to the 1958 Agreement and updated
41 existing ones, aimed at further improving the active and passive
safety of motor vehicles as well as their environmental performance.
It also adopted the second global technical regulation ever.
The Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods
was amended to include provisions aimed at further harmonizing border procedures
for international road transport and making them more efficient. A first phase
of the computerization of the TIR Convention procedures was finalized with
the adoption of a Reference Model for the present TIR procedures. Work on
the second phase, i.e. definition of requirements for the so-called «eTIR» system,
was initiated.
In the framework of the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme
(THE PEP), an internet based Clearing House was developed providing multilingual
information and networking possibilities for policymakers, particularly in
EECCA countries.
“Model” action plans and partnership agreements, including benchmarks
to measure the competitiveness of intermodal transport, developed by the UNECE,
were adopted by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) Council
of Ministers. A package of modifications to the European Agreement on Important
International Combined Transport Lines and Related Installations (AGTC) to
cover, in particular, important Euro-Asian transport links, was adopted. Proposals
were made towards negotiation of unified pan-European rail law systems and
rail Customs transit regimes.
The UNECE secretariat, together with the Committee of the Organization
for Railways Cooperation (OSZhD), has been preparing an International
Conference on the facilitation of border crossing in railway transport,
to be held in 2006. The main objective of the Conference will be to
create legal provisions aimed at simplifying and shortening border crossing
procedures in international rail transport.
In the area of transport trends and economics, UNECE will focus its
work on Euro-Asian links, financing of transport infrastructure and
Mediterranean transport. A Workshop on Euro-Asian transport links - Feedback
from users was organized with the participation of the private sector.
The TEM and TER Master Plan was concluded in 2005, providing a realistic
short, medium and long-term investment strategy for developing the road, rail
and combined transport Backbone Networks in the 21 Central, Eastern and South-Eastern
European countries participating in this exercise. In this context, 491 projects
with a total cost of 102.10 billion Euros were evaluated and prioritized.
The Master Plan has taken duly into account alternative scenarios of growth,
bottlenecks and missing links as well as problems of transport infrastructure
financing and border crossings.
As part of the UN Development Account Project on Capacity Building in
Developing Interregional Transport Linkages, the UNECE and UNESCAP secretariats
jointly organized in Istanbul the Third Expert Group Meeting on Developing
Euro-Asian Transport Links. Eighteen country representatives from the
Euro Asian region agreed on the main road, rail and inland water transport
routes connecting Europe and Asia, and identified main transshipment points
along them. They also agreed to complete a Geographic Information System
(GIS) database and carry out an evaluation and prioritization of projects
along the selected routes.
As part of the same project, the UNECE secretariat cooperated with UNESCAP
and UNESCWA towards developing transport links among the three regions.
A first Expert Group Meeting, held in Amman, Jordan, agreed on the
main road, rail and sea/road/rail routes linking the UNECE and UNESCAP
regions with the UNESCWA region and on related joint activities. Cooperation
was also under way with UNECA on developing Mediterranean links.
Major challenges for 2006
The broad challenge for the UNECE in the field of transport in 2006 will
be to continue improving the efficiency, safety, environmental protection
and security of the transport sector in the UNECE region, most particularly
in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe as well as in the Caucasus and Central
Asian member countries. This will have to be done in close cooperation
with the European Commission, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport,
the River Commissions and all the non-governmental organizations concerned,
including those representing the transport industry, the transport equipment
industry, businesses requiring transport, transport users and consumers.
More specific challenges in 2006 will be how to ensure financial support for
continuing intergovernmental cooperation towards the sound development
of transport infrastructure in the above-mentioned regions and countries, how
to ensure the sustainability of the TIR regime while improving transparency
in its management, and how to contribute effectively to improving road
safety at the global level.