Transport Ministers from 53 countries meet for global summit

Transport Ministers from the 53 member countries of the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD gather in Leipzig, Germany, today for a three-day summit on the future of global mobility. The 2012 summit is headlined ‘Seamless Transport: Making Connections’ and will ask how better connectivity can improve lives and stimulate the economy. Angel Gurría, secretary-general of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), will be the keynote speaker on 3 May.
May 2, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSTransport Ministers from the 53 member countries of the 998 International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD gather in Leipzig, Germany, today for a three-day summit on the future of global mobility.

The 2012 summit is headlined ‘Seamless Transport: Making Connections’ and will ask how better connectivity can improve lives and stimulate the economy. Angel Gurría, secretary-general of the 5342 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), will be the keynote speaker on 3 May.

Gurría will also be presenting the Forum’s 2012 Transport Outlook. Issues for discussion include:

  • Rethinking the Last Mile: What new approaches exist for freight delivery in cities?
  • The Future of Travel: How does e-Ticketing, smart-phone use and data sharing change mobility?
  • Facilitating global trade: Connectivity across borders
  • Transport for Growth: Can better connectivity stimulate economic activity?
  • Smart Grids: How to power the e-mobility future?
  • Collaboration in connectivity: Achieving seamless transport between cities and regions

The event includes a Ministerial meeting, panel discussions with leaders from business, research and civil society as well as bilateral and informal meetings. For the first time, the Ministers’ meeting will be partly open to the media.

“Connectivity is a 21st century megatrend”, said Michael Kloth, acting secretary-general of the ITF. “The digital revolution has made it easier to link up, but people and markets also long to be better connected in physical ways.”

“Enabling transport to become more seamless – between modes and systems, across borders, regulatory frameworks and ownership structures – will stimulate creativity, set free resources, help economic growth and provide better solutions for transport users,” said Kloth.

Related Content

  • US economic stimulus package highlights ITS technology
    July 17, 2012
    US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood talks to ITS International about economic stimulus funding and the absolute need to maintain and increase the use of technology in transportation. Of the total of $787 billion of funding announced under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the economic stimulus package which was signed into law by US President Barack Obama on 17 February 2009, $48.1 billion will go to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT). Of that, $27.5 billion is for highway in
    Read More
  • ITS America Annual Meeting - setting the scene
    May 1, 2012
    Gloria J. Jeff, District of Columbia Department of Transportation, and one of the co-chairs of the 2012 Annual Meeting Organizing Committee, sets the scene on what will be this year’s most important event for the ITS industry.
    Read More
  • US transportation policy needs to restart to sort shortcomings
    August 2, 2012
    Joshua Schank has no illusions when it comes to what he and the Bipartisan Policy Center are suggesting in Performance Driven: New Vision for US Transportation Policy. Released in June of this year, this major report (see Sidebar, 'The Shift in Thinking') advocates no less than a root-and-branch overhaul of the way in which the US transportation system is run - how money is allocated and how the beneficiaries of that funding are selected. As its name suggests, Schank and his colleagues are urging senior US
    Read More
  • Report forecasts growth in global markets for intelligent transportation systems
    November 1, 2012
    A new report by information service provider Global Information says that intelligent transportation systems (ITS) improve public transport and traffic management to reduce traffic congestion, promote smoother and safer driving and improve coordinate and overall smarter use of transport networks. The development of intelligent infrastructures – from roads to bridges – is primarily a governmental responsibility while the domain of developing intelligent vehicles belongs to the commercial side. Both private a
    Read More

Highlighted Content