The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Transportation ministers and officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) committed to deepen the integration of the transportation system in the region through the adoption of various transport initiatives at the recent 22nd Asean Transport Meeting (ATM).
The ministers commended the strong start in the implementation of the Kuala Lumpur Transport Strategic Plan (KTLSP) 2016- 2025 and vowed to intensify their cooperation to realize the Asean Economic Community(AEC) 2015 vision which calls for a deeply integrated region contributing towards a strengthened and cohesive Asean economy.
They also adopted and launched the Asean Road Safety Booklet as a tool for dissemination of key highlights from Asean Regional Road Safety Strategy in enhancing public awareness on the importance of road safety in the region. The road safety strategy seeks to realize the goals of the United Nations Decade for Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020.
The Decade of Action for Road Safety has proposed five pillars of road safety which provide a useful framework for road safety strategies at the global, regional and national levels: road safety management, safer road and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users and post-crash response.
It was proposed that the key strategic directions for the Asean Regional Road Safety Strategy should focus on those aspects which are most relevant at the regional level and where a regional approach will support and facilitate actions taken by individual countries.
“The collective aspiration is to cut down accident rate to almost zero. We have to adopt to solutions such as road engineering,” Minister Khaw Boon Wan of Singapore said in a press conference.
Furthermore, the ATM welcomed the adoption of the Asean-United States Aviation Cooperation Terms of Reference, which would include areas of aviation safety, efficiency, harmonization, security, as well as economic regulation.
The ministers also lauded the efforts of the Philippines to increase its spending on infrastructure through its “Build, Build, Build” plan to build more railways, urban mass transport, airports, seaports, more bridges and roads and new and better cities which is consistent with the objective of seamless trade and connectivity in the Asean region.
“We aim to enhance trade, attract investments, facilitate movement of goods and people, and boost tourism. With aggressive transportation infrastructure and sustainable transport policies, we hope to ultimately provide a better and higher quality of life to our people,” said Transportation Undersecretary for Maritime Felipe Judan, who represented ATM Chairman and Transportartion Secretary Arthur Tugade.
The Philippines hosted the 42nd Senior Transport Officials Meeting (42nd STOM) and the 22nd Asean Transport Ministers Meeting (22nd ATM) held at the PICC from November 14-18, 2016.
More than 200 transport officials and delegates from the Asean member states gathered to discuss various transport initiatives and policies that will improve connectivity and enhance cooperation in the region.
China, Japan and South Korea were this year’s dialogue partners. Delegates from Russia were also present in preparation for the Asean-Russia Transport Ministers Meeting next month.
The 23rd ATM Meeting will take place in Singapore in 2017.