“Access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all”, the way forward

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At the outset of his second term, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon identified sustainable transport as one of six key issues to define his tenure. Sustainable transport is indeed a universal issue offering different opportunities for many countries. The report of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals affirmed this by including a target on providing “access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all”. Accordingly, sustainable transport should become a main driver of economic development. The challenge is to do so in a way that respects the delicate balance between economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Over the course of 2012 and 2013, the Kingdom of the Netherlands together with partners, organized a number of meetings of the Group of Friends of Sustainable Transport. The aim of these meetings was to provide a platform for discussion, exchange best practices and identify options for influencing the UN agenda.

During the 12 November meeting we will discuss the following issues:

• Creating universal access to safe, clean and affordable transport for all
• The transport-related outcomes of the Secretary General’s Climate Summit;
• The Second United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) which took place from 3-5 November in Vienna and the role of transport in promoting sustainable development within LLDCs.