Contribution of Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport to Sustainable Development

Organized by: Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) & Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT)

Supported by: Communitas Coalition, EMBARQ, FIA Foundation, Ford Foundation

Background

The year 2015 is expected to be decisive in defining the guidelines for international development policy in the next 15 years. In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly will hold a summit where they are expected to adopt a set of Sustainable Development Goals which will form the global sustainable development architecture to 2030.  

Sustainable transport is poised to be recognized in the architecture, through its contribution to seven of the proposed 17 goals which include food security, health, energy, infrastructure development, urban development, sustainable consumption and production, as well as climate change.  Transport is cross-cutting different sectors, and through safe, sustainable and clean transport it is possible to improve access in rural, urban and regional levels, while reducing the negative externalities for road safety crashes, air pollution and increasing greenhouse emissions. 

Objectives

The side event “Contribution of Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport to Sustainable Development” jointly organized by ITDP & SLoCaT and supported by Communitas Coalition, EMBARQ, FIA Foundation, Ford Foundation has the following objectives;

• Illustrate how sustainable, low carbon transport can contribute to the post-2015 development agenda
• Identify the areas where the currently proposed goal and target structure can be improved in linking rural transport priorities and transport services to the existing targets
• Highlight the link between sustainable, low carbon transport and alleviating poverty-which is the overall arching goal of the post-2015 development agenda

Panel Discussion

Moderator: Karl Peet, Sustainable Transport Research Director, SLoCaT Partnership

Panelists: 

• Aimée Gauthier, Chief Program Officer, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
• Don Chen, Director of the Metropolitan Opportunities unit and Just Cities initiative, Ford Foundation
• Leah Flax, Project Manager, 100 Resilient CitiesAimée Gauthier
• James Goldstein, Research Director, Communitas Coalition
• Mohammad Reza Salamat, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, Small Island Developing States, Oceans and Climate. Sustainable Development Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• Roberta Weisbrod, Executive Director, Worldwide Ferry Safety Association