Transport and Covid-19: responses and resources

Transport Ministers vow to keep travellers and freight safe and secure

Summit Declaration: Need for strong political leadership in the face of challenges from road crashes to terrorism and from cyber-risks to climate change

Leipzig, 24 May 2018 | Ministers with responsibility for transport from the 59 member countries of the International Transport Forum have underlined the critical importance of keeping transport safe, secure and resilient in order to enable societies and economies to prosper.

“Safety and security are of fundamental concern for transport, both as the basis of a citizen’s right to travel without fear, and as a condition for the reliable and efficient transport of goods”, Ministers state in a joint declaration agreed unanimously at their Annual Summit on 24 May in Leipzig, Germany. 

Specifically, Ministers pledge to join forces against both unintended and malicious disruptions to transport systems that cause death and injury. They commit to cooperation among public and private entities to combat human trafficking and terrorism involving transport services and infrastructure. In order to reduce crime involving transport networks, Ministers plan with others to foster cross-border cooperation between relevant agencies.

Ministers also emphasize the potential of digitalisation for making transport safer and more secure, but call on stakeholders to test, demonstrate and evaluate the effects of these new technologies. They also agree to promote measures for real-time exchange and use of robust data to enhance safe and secure transport, while ensuring cyber security and data protection.

In their Declaration, Ministers take particular note of the need to further improve road safety. Noting that every day, 3500 lives are lost in crashes on the world’s roads, they call for “an integrated approach to reduce or eliminate road traffic fatalities and serious injuries backed by intermediate voluntary targets”.

Media contact:
Michael KLOTH
Head of Communications
M +33 (0)6 15 95 03 27
E michael.kloth@itf-oecd.org

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