Transport - a pivotal sector in Asia and the Pacific's journey to sustainability

Transport is a key contributor to economic growth, prosperity and to societal well-being. Physical links across Asia and the Pacific have increasingly improved through years of steady investments in the Asian Highway, a project endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) commission at its 48th session in 1992 to promote intergovernmental agreements to develop a regional highway network, and the Trans-Asian Railways, as well as through the facilitation of land transport projects.

These intertwined projects have resulted in a network of 140,000 kilometers of roads being developed in 32 countries, which in turn has enabled better connectivity within Asia as well as between Asia and Europe, and contributed to the development of other related infrastructure.

Further deepening Asian transport connectivity, however, requires that we consider some additional imperatives. For instance, we must ensure that regional connectivity is seamless and promotes multimodal connectivity to allow for the most cost-effective and time-efficient delivery of goods from one point to another. To this end, some important regional initiatives, such as the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative, and the Eurasian Economic Union, provide strategic visions that will help forge broader regional and international transportation connectivity in our region. Moving forward, these initiatives must develop missing corridors and link Asia better with internal and outside markets in order to better promote seamless connectivity. Beyond this, we as a region must also develop a better understanding of how to harmonize these plans with the principles of sustainable development. 

To promote...