Publication date: May 2025
In 2023, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared the first-ever United Nations
Decade of Sustainable Transport to start in 2026 (Resolution A/78/148), underscoring transport’s critical role as an enabler for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), in collaboration with UN Regional Commissions, is tasked with the preparation of a UN Implementation Plan for the UN Decade, in consultation with “Member States, specialised agencies, funds, programmes and bodies of the United Nations, as well as other intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and relevant stakeholders”.
Building upon the paper “Inputs to the UN Process” published last year in collaboration with the UK-funded High Volume Transport Applied Research Programme, this new SLOCAT paper outlines what the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport can achieve, as well as priority areas and critical levers of change for the next 10 years. This paper is intended as a contribution to support the ongoing works on the UN Implementation Plan for the UN Decade, and is informed by the discussions held at the workshop co-organised in April 2025 by SLOCAT, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK FCDO) and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), in collaboration with FIA Foundation, Kühne Climate Center (KCC) and
World Resources Institute (WRI).
Key Message: The Four Priority Areas
- Enabling Inclusive Communities and Realising Shared Prosperity by Expanding Efficient, Affordable, Safe, Sustainable and Resilient Freight and Passenger Transport
- Create Decent Jobs and Protect Workers by Making Transport Professions Viable and Attractive
- Protect Health and the Planet by Improving Road Safety and Air Quality, and Increasing the Use of Clean Vehicles, Vessels, Aircraft and Energy
- Enable Lasting Development Through Tailored Transport Solutions
