The IRU – global voice of the road transport industry – officially launches Permanent Delegation to the United Nations to further assist UN in actively seeking global solutions to global problems.

New York – The International Road Transport Union (IRU) inaugurated its Permanent Delegation to the United Nations in New York yesterday, bringing it one step closer to establishing an ongoing dialogue and cooperation with the UN Secretariat, UN country missions and various UN specialised agencies, based on common economic, social and environmental goals.

The Delegation will serve to share with the UN Headquarters, and through it, every region of the world, the IRU's more than 65 years of experience and expertise in facilitating and securing trade and international road transport, and the vital role that road transport plays in addressing global issues, as the driving force of regional integration, peace and stability.

IRU President, Janusz Lacny, and IRU Secretary General, Umberto de Pretto, opened the ceremony by addressing the role of road transport in the globalised economy. High level UN representative, Dmitry Titov, UN Assistant Secretary-General, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, discussed the role of road transport in addressing challenging issues, particularly the recently implemented IRU-United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) project Demining Afghanistan. The inauguration of the IRU Permanent Delegation in New York was actively supported by the Permanent Representatives of Tajikistan and Georgia, as well as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and UN Global Compact, with whom the IRU is engaged in various joint projects aimed at promoting international road transport.

The new Permanent Delegation will be headed by IRU Under Secretary General, Igor Rounov, who has worked since 2001 as Head of the IRU Permanent Delegation to Eurasia and is well-known in the international business and diplomatic community.

Commenting on the new Delegation’s medium-term objectives, Mr Rounov stated, “True to the IRU’s motto of “Working together for a better future”, we will work to achieve this by building strong partnerships with the UN and all stakeholders. We will also work to promote innovative IRU projects, such as the Model Highway Initiative to develop ancillary infrastructure, our Smart Move campaign to double the use of collective passenger transport, and other initiatives to further increase road safety and effectively fight corruption.”

The IRU Permanent Delegation to the United Nations complements IRU Delegations based in Brussels, Moscow and Istanbul, and will serve to coordinate the implementation of the IRU’s working programme and priorities on a global and regional level. The offices are based at 5 Columbus Circle, 1790 Broadway, which is 1.9 miles away from the UN Headquarters.

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See the inauguration speeches, presentations and pictures