Sustainable Urban Transportation Summit held in New York City
Sustainable Urban Transportation Event Held in New York
On July 17, 2023, a significant event on sustainable urban transportation was held at the UN Headquarters in New York. The event, organized by the Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the UN, took place within the framework of the High-Level Forum on Sustainable Development. The main theme of the event was “Sustainable Urban Transport: Preparation for the High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Sustainable Transport and the model of the city of Arkadag for the implementation of SDG 11”.
Distinguished guests attended the event, including Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, the UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Michal Mlynar, the Deputy Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Dmitry Maryasin, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Ciyong Zou, the Deputy to the Director General and the Managing Director of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (UNIDO), Jamil Ahmad, the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the UN Environment Programme’s New York office (UNEP), Igor Runov, the Executive Secretary of the International Center for Transport Diplomacy (ICTD), and representatives from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Partnership for Sustainable Low-Carbon Transportation (SLOCAT).
During the opening remarks, the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the UN, A.Atayeva, emphasized the importance of exchanging experiences among countries to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. She also mentioned that Turkmenistan will soon present its second voluntary national review, highlighting the country’s progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
M.Byashimova, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, highlighted in her speech that Turkmenistan has been actively promoting initiatives to strengthen transport sustainability at the international level. The country has organized various forums, including the first Global Conference on Sustainable Transport in 2016 and the Ministerial Transport Conference for Landlocked Developing Countries in 2022.
M.Byashimova also presented the city of Arkadag as a model for sustainable urban planning. The project aims to improve the welfare and living conditions of the population and showcases Turkmenistan’s efforts in modern urban planning, advanced methods and technologies, public health and digital medicine, environmental sustainability, and reducing environmental impact.
The participants of the event expressed their readiness to collaborate with the Government of Turkmenistan and the UN specialized agencies to implement this ambitious project. They also highlighted the significance of the UN General Assembly’s resolution, initiated by Turkmenistan, declaring November 26 as World Sustainable Transport Day. Additionally, they mentioned the upcoming high-level meeting of the 78th session of the General Assembly on sustainable transport, scheduled for November this year.
The proposal put forth by Turkmenistan to hold joint meetings of the Group of Friends of Sustainable Transport and the Group of Friends of UN-Habitat to strengthen the sustainability of urban transport systems received support.
Bilateral meetings were held at the end of the event between the Turkmenistan delegation and Maimunah Mohd Sharif, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, and Dmitry Maryasin, the Deputy Executive Secretary of UNECE. These meetings discussed ways to expand partnerships, enhance interaction with UN organizations, and explore joint initiatives in the fields of transport, energy, water resources management, ecology, and urban development.
The Sustainable Urban Transportation Event held in New York served as a platform for exchanging knowledge and promoting sustainable urban transport solutions. It demonstrated Turkmenistan’s commitment to achieving the SDGs and fostering international cooperation in the realm of sustainable development.
