United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the membership of a High-level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport to provide recommendations on sustainable transport actionable at global, national, local and sector levels.

The Advisory Group, established for a period of three years, will work with Governments, transport providers (aviation, marine, ferry, rail, road, and urban public transport), businesses, financial institutions, civil society and other stakeholders, to promote sustainable transport systems and their integration into development strategies and policies, including in climate action.

The aim of the Advisory Group is to promote accelerated implementation of sustainable transport, aligned closely with the objectives of inclusive and equitable growth, social development, protection of the global environment and ecosystems, and addressing climate change.

This initiative represents one more step by the Secretary-General in advancing climate action and in implementing his Five-Year Action Agenda in which the Secretary-General pledged to forge consensus around a post-2015 sustainable development agenda and implement it. The establishment of the Advisory Group is also a concrete response to the call by stakeholders across a broad array of fields for a more strategic approach to transport- and infrastructure-related issues.

To accomplish this, the Advisory Group will provide a global message and recommendations on sustainable transport, including on innovative policy and multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable transport; launch a “Global Transport Outlook Report” by 2015 to provide analytical support for these recommendations; and help mobilize action and initiatives in support of sustainable transport among key actors, including Member States, development finance institutions, bilateral development partners, transport providers, urban authorities and land-use planners. The Advisory Group will also seek to promote the integration of sustainable transport in relevant intergovernmental processes, including making recommendations on the formulation and implementation of the post-2015 development agenda.

Panel members of the Advisory Group consist of the following:

• Olof Persson (Sweden), CEO of the Volvo Group, Co-Chair
• Carolina Tohá (Chile), Mayor of Santiago, Chile, Co-Chair
• Frank Appel (Germany), CEO of Deutsche Post DHL
• Milica Bajic-Brkovic (Serbia), President of the International Society of City and Regional Planners
• Morten Engelstoft (Denmark), CEO of Services & Other Shipping and Maersk Tankers
• Alain Flausch (Belgium), Secretary-General of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP)
• Maty Mint Hamady (Mauritania), Mayor of Nouakchott
• Patrick Ho (Hong Kong, China), Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General of China Energy Fund Committee
• Victor Kiryanov (Russian Federation), Deputy Minister of Interior of the Russian Federation
• Jean Pierre Loubinoux (France), Director-General of the International Union of Railways
• Tanya Müller García (Mexico), Secretary of Environment of Mexico City
• Len Roueche (Canada), CEO of Interferry