Towards the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport: Reflections from a Multi-Stakeholder Workshop
Last week, a mix of participants from diverse professional backgrounds, geographies and transport development contexts gathered at the premises of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London to reflect on priorities and actions to transform transport systems and services. Co-organised by SLOCAT, the UK FCDO and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), in collaboration with FIA Foundation, Kühne Climate Center (KCC) and World Resources Institute (WRI), this workshop aimed to contribute stakeholder inputs to the preparations of the first ever United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport.
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).
In recent years, both the political appreciation of sustainable transport and our scientific understanding of its synergies and trade-offs with economic growth, social inclusion, resilient infrastructure development, trade, global supply chains, food security, health promotion, energy efficiency, and climate change action have greatly improved.
The United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport will be an opportunity to enhance the understanding of transport’s crucial role in driving resilient economic growth, and enhancing social inclusion and quality of life in a liveable planet. This UN Decade also has the potential to accelerate efficient solutions, resources and partnerships to advance sustainable, inclusive and resilient transport globally.
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), in collaboration with UN Regional Commissions, is tasked with the preparation of an Implementation Plan for the Decade, in consultation with “Member States, specialized agencies, funds, programmes and bodies of the United Nations, as well as other intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and relevant stakeholders”. The UN General Assembly Resolution also recognises “the need for continued cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and existing partnerships on sustainable transport issues such as (…) SLOCAT”, among others.
Ultimately, the success of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport will depend on both the ownership and leadership from national and sub-national governments, and the involvement of stakeholders in the implementation of its goals. This is why this workshop sought to continue contributing collective thought leadership and stakeholder engagement in the preparations towards the UN Decade.
Following reflections by senior representatives from UK FCDO, IDRC, SLOCAT and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) at the opening of the workshop, practitioners from different professional backgrounds and geographies shared expert inputs reflecting different transport development contexts and issues across passenger and freight transport.
Informed by a set of proposed priority areas co-created through consultation spaces convened by SLOCAT since March 2024, in-depth discussions at the workshop focused on priorities and actions to accelerate efficient sustainable transport solutions that drive resilient economic growth, social inclusion and quality of life in a liveable planet, with special emphasis on low- and middle-income countries. Participants also reflected on how to strengthen international multi-stakeholder cooperation and partnerships around the goals of this UN Decade.
Discussions were guided by a series of framing perspectives, namely:
- Implementing, monitoring and evaluating actions at global, regional, national and sub-national levels across all modes of passenger and freight transport.
Inspiring action by governments, companies, investors, customers and international organisations. - Strengthening preparedness, capacities and capabilities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
- Promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration and international cooperation.
Building upon the Paper “Inputs to the UN Process” published last year in collaboration with the UK-funded High Volume Transport Applied Research Programme and aimed as stakeholder input in support of the ongoing works on the UN Implementation Plan, in 2025 SLOCAT aims to contribute priorities and actions for transforming transport systems and services, as well as an ideas paper on international multi-stakeholder cooperation aligned with the goals of this UN Decade. The rich insights and exchanges of this workshop are key inputs to both activities. What is more, the collaborative expertise and results-oriented spirit shared by workshop participants are the lifeblood of international cooperation to transform transport for people and planet.
Stay engaged as we advance together towards the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport and check out the ongoing UN activities in preparation of the UN Implementation Plan!