The decision to establish SloCaT was taken in 2009 when 21 representatives from 18 different organizations working on transport and climate change in developing countries met from 12 to 16 May, 2009 in Bellagio, in a meeting to build a consensus on the required policy response to the growing CO2 emissions from transport in the developing world.

The meeting resulted in the Bellagio Declaration on Transportation and Climate Change.  The Declaration calls on organizations and individuals to support urgent action to change the change the trajectory of future GHG emissions from transport and to make transport in developing countries more sustainable. It appeals to all participants in the climate negotiations to provide strong support for the following 3 key-principles

The Bellagio meeting also produced a Common Policy Framework (CPF) on Transport and Climate Change in Developing Countries. The CPF elaborates the rationale for the Declaration and outlined how the three main principles in the Declaration can be implemented especially through the COP process.