Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative Mr.Dmitry Chumakov at the High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Sustainable Transport
Dear Mr.Chairman,
Yesterday we already had the opportunity to consider in detail the issues of sustainable transport at the meeting of the Group of Friends of Sustainable Transport, organized by the Turkmenistan Mission.
There is no doubt that the development of transport infrastructure with the use of technological innovations is of strategic importance for the effective functioning of all other sectors of the economy. Without reliable, safe and convenient transport systems, it is impossible to develop production, trade, tourism - those industries make the most significant contribution to the GDP of all countries. At the same time, measures to develop transport are extremely costly, and their implementation in a number of developing countries requires serious support from the international community. We believe that today’s meeting will be one of the steps towards consolidating our common efforts to develop transport infrastructure. It must make a practical contribution to scaling up transport investment in all countries, including in the poorest and most vulnerable.
Currently, Russia is developing a new national program for the development of transport infrastructure, which is aimed at the development of railways, transport corridors in the direction of friendly countries, the construction of high-speed railways, the modernization of airfield infrastructure, increasing air accessibility, modernizing the backbone network of inland waterways and improving the quality of public transport. For the first time in recent history, the project will have to link the development of all types of transport into a single system. The national project also includes measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the commitments under the Paris Agreement. We have provided long-term financing for these purposes. Projects and programs are implemented by both the government and the private sector.
Mr.Chairman,
The expansion of transport corridors and issues of increasing the sustainability of transport are also priority areas of cooperation for the Eurasian Economic Union. Our five countries adopted the Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Eurasian Transport Corridors and approved the list of priority integration infrastructure projects in the field of transport. On an annual basis, a corresponding report on the creation and development of transport infrastructure in the East-West and North-South directions, including as part of the interface with the Chinese “One Belt, One Road” initiative, is submitted to the Heads of Governments of the Union for consideration.
Cooperation in the development of transport corridors is carried out with full consideration of the 2030 Agenda. As an example, in 2022, the Heads of Governments of the EAEU adopted the first package of the EAEU measures for cooperation within the framework of the climate agenda. These events are aimed at preventing barriers and restrictions in the internal market of the Union, as well as maintaining the competitiveness of the economies of the EAEU countries in the context of global technological transformation and changing the structure of the economy in three areas: technological sovereignty and technological transformation, industrial cooperation and technology transfer, formation of a climate technology bank and criteria for green projects in the EAEU countries. The Russian Federation expresses its readiness to cooperate with other countries, both by coordinating efforts at international and regional platforms, and through the implementation of joint infrastructure projects, within the framework of which we can, among other things, share our best practices and best practices.
Thank you for attention.
