Skip to main content

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

  • Hello LA! It's showtime!
    September 19, 2022
    Welcome to this year’s ITS World Congress, organised by RX Global. Jaime McAuley, the company’s event director, provides some highlights of what will be an amazing and unforgettable show
  • World Congress rewards outstanding ITS
    September 9, 2014
    Tradition dictates that the ITS World Congress is the setting for a variety of award presentations, and 2014 is no exception. During the glittering 2014 ITS World Congress opening ceremony the first of a series of awards was presented with São Paulo’s Municipal Department of Transport receiving the MobiPrize Enterprising City/State Award.
  • 60% of new cars globally will feature connected car solutions by 2017
    July 4, 2012
    New findings from ABI Research predict that global OEM connected car system penetration will increase from 11.4 per cent in 2012 to 60.1 per cent in 2017. While penetration in the US and Western Europe will exceed 80 per cent by 2017, developing regions such as Latin America and Eastern Europe will also see strong increases in telematics penetration in new vehicles, largely driven by mandates in Brazil and Russia.
  • Tolls to help fund improvements to the Brent Spence Bridge
    January 29, 2015
    The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) has applauded Governors Beshear (Kentucky) and Kasich (Ohio) following their announcement that they plan to use tolls to pay for at least part of the US$2.63 billion Brent Spence Bridge replacement. Brent Spence Bridge is a double deck, cantilevered truss bridge that carries Interstates 71 and 75 across the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio. Originally designed to carry 80,000 vehicles per day, approximately 172,0