Intergovernmental 9th Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum in Asia
In November, governments from across Asia met at the 9th Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport Forum to discuss and map improved resilience. The Conference was themed ‘Building Safe, Smart, Low-Carbon and Resilient Cities in Asia’.
Rapid motorization across Asia means that most Asian cities face traffic congestion, air pollution and high rates of traffic crashes which affect the economic and social development of the country. Compounding this, many Asian countries are prone to natural disasters, but have limited policy and infrastructure to ensure disaster and climate change resilience.
250 participants represented 24 countries at the conference, and held discussions focused on climate change; reduced carbon emissions; improved transportation systems to ensure faster rescue and evacuation, to encourage walking, and provide safer access to affordable and reliable public transport; infrastructure to increase resilience; and, improved polices, planning and development.
GRSP contributed expert knowledge and best practice to the forum presenting ‘Enhancing the Success of Road Safety Initiatives’; providing information on GRSP projects; stressed the primacy of partnerships and multi-sectoral collaboration, the importance of adequate legislation and strong enforcement, evidence based interventions, and adaptation to the local context and culture.
Based on evidence and data from China, GRSP provided critical information about the significant impact of e-bikes on road crashes, deaths and injuries, in response to the increased introduction of e-bikes as a solution to reduce carbon emissions.
The outcomes of the forum and discussions were summarized and shared with in the COP21 (2015 Paris Climate Conference – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).
