Skip to main content

New International Transport Forum secretary-general takes office

The International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD, an intergovernmental organisation with 54 member countries that acts as a strategic think tank for global transport policy and organises an annual summit of transport ministers, has announced that internationally renowned academic José Viegas of Portugal has taken office as secretary-general of the organisation. Elected by Ministers from Forum member countries at their summit in May, he joins the ITF from an internationally recognised career as an academi
August 17, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The 998 International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD, an intergovernmental organisation with 54 member countries that acts as a strategic think tank for global transport policy and organises an annual summit of transport ministers, has announced that internationally renowned academic José Viegas of Portugal has taken office as secretary-general of the organisation. Elected by Ministers from Forum member countries at their summit in May, he joins the ITF from an internationally recognised career as an academic and consultant. As a professor of civil engineering at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, and chairman of 6396 TIS.pt, a transport consultancy firm, Viegas has worked in all transport modes and managed collaborative networks across countries and economic sectors to advance better solutions in transport.

“The International Transport Forum faces great opportunities for a strategic reorientation, based on its existing strengths and its expanding membership, to further strengthen its role as the foremost platform for a global dialogue on transport policy,” said Viegas upon taking up his duties in Paris this week. “I will work hard to provide engaging and successful leadership in these processes."

Related Content

  • February 6, 2012
    Seamless transport - the need for connectivity and sustainability
    At the beginning of August, 2011, Carole Coune took up her new role as Secretary General of the International Transport Forum at the OECD. Here, she tells ITS International of the challenges and opportunities the global sector faces
  • May 23, 2016
    Transport sector unites to launch Global Decarbonising Transport project
    More than 40 partners and supporting organisations joined the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD for the launch of a major global initiative towards carbon-free transport. Transport activity currently contributes 23 per cent of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, with the share expected to rise, says the ITF. The Decarbonising Transport project aims to: Provide a common assessment tool based on a comprehensive modelling framework supported by dialogue with key stakeholders; Enable countr
  • August 15, 2014
    ITF supports UN high-level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport
    The Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD, José Viegas, has welcomed the creation of a high-level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and pledged to support the work of the new body. The creation of the Advisory Group was announced by the UN on 8 August. It will consist of twelve leading representatives of the transport sector and is mandated to provide secretary-general Ban Ki-moon with recommendations on sustainable transport ac
  • October 1, 2015
    ITF promotes intelligent mobility at ITS World Congress
    The share of private cars in urban mobility remains stubbornly high, despite heavy investment into public transport systems over the past decades. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) can become the game changer by making public transport responsive to the mobility demands of citizens in real time. This is the message the International Transport Forum (ITF), an intergovernmental organisation for the transport sector with 57 member countries, is taking to the ITS World Congress meeting in Bordeaux, France