Edghill says collaboration needed to address inland transport challenges

Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill, said a coordinated approach is needed to address
the challenges of inland transport. He pointed out that transport plays an important role in the
2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Edghill said that much like the coordinated approach taken worldwide to address the COVID-19
pandemic, he said the same could be done for transport. Edghill made the statement Tuesday, as
he delivered the keynote address on the 75th anniversary of the Inland Transport Committee
(ITC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Therefore, integrated approaches to policy making are imperative, including planning for land
use, infrastructure development, public transport systems and goods’ delivery networks for the
provision of affordable, efficient, safe and secure transport, improving energy efficiency, and at
the same time reducing pollution and congestion,” Edghill said. The public works minister
disclosed that transport holds the supply chain together, noting that without an economically
stable plan in place, a lot of capital will be lost. The minister highlighted that lack of such a plan
also means higher cost of living
“Our collective and sustained efforts as governments and multilateral institutions must be to craft
transport policies and allocate the financial and other resources in the most appropriate areas to
stem or reduce these effects on our global existence,” he stressed. Minister Edghill said that the
signing of the Ministerial Resolution, will move the spectrum from words to firm actions.
Meanwhile, Edghill told the meet that the transport sector remains a major contributor to CO2
emissions and is necessary to assess its trends and projections concerning carbon emissions and
energy use. The high use of diesel he noted is prevalent in Latin America. “As we embark on the
next steps for implementing the Global Plan for sustainable inland transport, every stakeholder –
including and especially all our governments and multilateral institutions must leverage our
strengths and influences and take honourable actions in this decade that will have a lasting
positive impact on the macro-economic stability of our livelihoods today and for generations to
come,” Edghill declared.
He revealed that the 75th anniversary of the Inland Transport Committee (ICT) was held under
the theme “ushering in a decade of delivery for sustainable inland transport and sustainable
development.”