Transport Ministers, representatives of international organisations and financial institutions, as well as 400 participants at the 7th IRU Euro-Asian Road Transport Conference, call upon governments to effectively drive regional and intercontinental trade to boost Arab world economies by implementing key UN multilateral trade and facilitation instruments.

Amman – The 7th IRU Euro-Asian Road Transport Conference, Ministerial Meeting and 2nd Co-ordination Meeting of International Organisations and Financial Institutions today all concluded that it is imperative to promote and further facilitate trade and international road transport to drive economic growth, social stability and prosperity in the Arab world.

The IRU Amman Conference Declaration, unanimously adopted by all participants,  highlights that “professional road transport is no longer merely a mode of transport but has become, in today’s globalised economy, a vital production tool in every supply and logistics chain, driving economic, social and environmental progress throughout the world” and calls for governments to “implement, as a priority, the key UN facilitation instruments, such as the TIR and Harmonization Conventions, including the IRU’s risk management applications, namely Real Time SafeTIR(RTS) and TIR Electronic Pre-Declaration (TIR-EPD) to reduce border waiting times”.

The Amman Ministerial Declaration, adopted by 21 Transport Ministers or representatives in a parallel meeting, stresses the “imperative need to be even more effective in bringing greater tangible results for citizens by better coordinating  efforts together with those of the International Organisations and Financial Institutions in further developing inter-regional trade, tourism and transport linkages by realising, in a coordinated manner, the necessary institutional and administrative reforms to effectively facilitate and harmonise the frontier controls of goods, passengers and vehicles to significantly reduce border waiting times by acceding to and strictly implementing the key UN multilateral trade and transport facilitation instruments, such as the Harmonization and TIR Conventions.”

The Joint Declaration of International Organisations and Financial Institutions highlights their common resolve to “increase cooperation and coordination with the aim to work towards a higher level of efficiency and coherence in all aspects of development of inter-regional transport links; and focus political attention and investments on development of transport and ancillary support infrastructure to help drive trade and international road transport along the routes between Asia, Europe, Black Sea region, the Middle East and Africa; and expand existing technical assistance projects such as the IDB Technical Assistance Grant”.

Closing the IRU Conference, IRU Secretary General, Umberto de Pretto, concluded, “Strengthening road transport linkages between the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa is imperative for effectively developing intercontinental and regional trade and tourism. The solutions are simple and require not financing but merely political will and commitment. If the common objective of all of us is that our citizens enjoy a good quality of life, that trade is generated, that we drive for progress, prosperity and ultimately peace, facilitating international road transport is the most effective way forward.”

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