"ESCWA's Role in Promoting Integrated Transport System in the Arab Region

Transcription

1 "ESCWA's Role in Promoting Integrated Transport System in the Arab Region Mona Fattah Economic Development and Globalization Division Presentation to the International Conference of the International Road Union Academy Dubai, 4-5 June 2014 Presentation Outline ESCWA Member Countries Major Transport Challenges in ESCWA Region ESCWA Assistance in Transport Development Policy in the Arab Region Development of the Integrated Transport System in the Arab Mashreq (ITSAM) Development of ITSAM: UN International Roads and Railways, and Maritime MoU Transport and Trade Facilitation ESCWA s recent assessment and research tools Road Safety Proposed Recommendations 1

2 ESCWA Member Countries (17 Arab Countries) Bahrain Egypt Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Libya Morocco Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Sudan Syrian Arab Republic Tunisia United Arab Emirates Yemen Oman Major Transport Challenges in ESCWA Region Sixty percent of Railways are missing links Intraregional trade is only approximately 10% Border crossing formalities are cumbersome and time consuming No multimodal transport laws and operators Lack of harmonization of institutional framework and legislations in the Transport Sector in the ESCWA Region Limited traffic between Arab Mashreq and Maghreb No smooth connection between Africa, Asia and Europe Deficits in financial resources Some ESCWA countries have the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world Instability (economic, security, occupation, etc.) 2

3 ESCWA Assistance in Transport Development Policy in the Arab Region (since 1998) Development of an Integrated Transport System in the Arab Mashreq (ITSAM) in support of regional socioeconomic integration and development Transport Infrastructure Development Facilitation of the regional and interregional flows of goods and passengers Legal and administrative reforms ITSAM Expansion from ESCWA to the Arab Region Connecting Africa, Asia and Europe Financial tools and mechanisms Development of the Integrated Transport System in the Arab Mashreq (TSAM) Methodological Framework (1999-Present) Regional Network: Roads, Railways, Maritime and Air Information System: GIS Methodological Framework To facilitate trade and transport operations regionally and internationally at all Arab borders (land, maritime, and air) 3

4 Map of the Integrated Transport System in The Arab Mashreq (ITSAM) Development of ITSAM (Few Components) UN International Roads and Railways Conventions, and Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Transport Cooperation Transport and Trade Facilitation Road Safety Harmonization of Institutional Framework and Legislations in the Transport sector Financing Transport Related Projects 4

5 Agreement on International Roads in the Arab Mashreq Adopted on 10 May 2001 Entered into force on 19 Oct 2003 Ratified by 13 member countries by February % Implemented by March 2013 Expansion of ESCWA roads network with the same specifications to all Arab countries (Arab Roads Network, Sert, 2010) 5

6 Agreement on International Railways in the Arab Mashreq Adopted on 14 April 2003 Entered into force on 23 May 05 Ratified by 13 ESCWA members Action plan adopted in 2006 Feasibility study in Yemen in 2010 Feasibility study in GCC in 2010 Expansion of ESCWA railways network with the same specifications to all Arab countries (Arab Railways Network, 1 st Arab Economic and Social Summit (Kuwait 2009) ) Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Transport Cooperation in the Arab Mashreq Adopted on 5 May 2005 Entered into force on 4 September 2006 Ratified by 10 member countries Adoption of the action plan for implementing article 5, on coastal transportation (12 th Session of ESCWA Transport Committee, Beirut, May 2011) 6

7 Development of ITSAM: Transport and Trade Facilitation (TTF) Trade Facilitation Field Study (2000) Five countries-six volumes) (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, UAE) Studies on Application of EDI and (1999, 2001 and 2003) ICT Economic Feasibility Study for Trade Facilitation across Jordan, Syria and Lebanon (2003) Recommendations for multimodal transport and trade facilitation in the Arab region (2006) County TTF Case Studies (KSA, Egypt, 2012) ESCWA-LAS Joint Cooperation on Arab Customs Union (starting 2013) ITSAM: Transport and Trade Facilitation Recommendations 1. Simplification of procedures 2. Transparency 3. Integrity of practices 4. Automation and ICT 5. Institutional reform 6. Regulatory reform 7. Valuation and classification of commodities 8. Improved performance at border crossing points 9. Adoption of multimodal transport convention 10. Accession to existing international conventions and formulation of new regional ones as deemed necessary 7

8 Establishment of National Transport and Trade Facilitation Committees 10 Member Countries Established NTTFC (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen) Most began active then slowed down Needs reactivation (national and regional approach) Resource limitation at ESCWA ESCWA s Recent Assessment and Research Tools Adoption of Plan of action for advancing the implementation of the Agreement on International Roads in the Arab Mashreq (14 th Session of Transport Committee, Amman, 9-10 October 2013) Questionnaire/Surveys to test the impact of the implementation of the Agreement on International Roads in the Arab Mashreq on intraregional trade Membership at the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Board (access to quantitative analysis of international trade policy issues global database) Bi-yearly Arab Economic Regional Integration Report (starting 2015) to study the developments Transport Systems and their impact on intra and international trade (new indicators) Application of the Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Models for policy recommendations 8

9 Road Safety ESCWA resolution 256 (XXIII,2005): urged member countries to take part in the activities undertaken by ESCWA for improving road safety conditions in the region E/ESCWA/GRID/2005/6: Assessment of road traffic safety in ESCWA countries; (1) road safety-related legislation; (2) licenses and driver instruction; (3) road crash data; (4) education and awareness raising; and (5) an analysis of the current status of road safety Workshop on good practices for road traffic safety (Muscat, November 2005) Workshop for Capacity Building of the National Focal Points for the First UN Road safety Week (joint with WHO and GRSP, December 2006) First UN Global Road Safety Week (Abu Dhabi, April 2007) Workshop on Building the Arab Mashreq Road Safety Partnership (Doha, October 2008) Participation at the First Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety: Time for Action, Moscow Declaration (Moscow, November 2009) GA resolution 64/255 (10 May 2010): proclaimed the period as the Decade of Action for Road Safety 9

10 UNDA Project on Improving Global Road Safety (2009): Closing Regional Workshop (Abu Dhabi, June 2009) The Launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety (Beirut, 17 May 2011) 10

11 Regional Workshop on the Implementation of the Action Plan for the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety in the ESCWA Region (Amman, November 2012) ESCWA s cooperation with other UN Regional Commissions and WHO in setting the GA Resolution 68/269 Improving global road safety (10 April 2014) Technical Support and Capacity Building support to member countries (2005- current date) Preparation for the Third UN Global Road Safety Week 2015 during 4-10 May 2015 Children and road safety Proposed Recommendations Implementation of the UNESCWA international conventions on Transport Activation of the role of National Committees for Transport and Trade Facilitation Enhancing road safety; (1) Including it in top priorities in national development agendas, and (2) implementing the Action Plan of the Decade of Action for Road Safety ( ) Providing variety of sources of financing for transport Building Solid Assessment Systems (reliable database and professional assessment) Reforming/updating the prevailing institutional framework and legislation in transport sector Participating at regional and international initiatives/projects on transport development Building partnerships with private sector, civil society and Academic Institutions 11

12 Thank you 12