*62 countries meet to discuss future of transport in context of Covid-19 & Climate Change at virtual summit
Ireland is chairing 62 countries at the International Transport Forum (ITF) Virtual Summit, the largest gathering of Transport Ministers, which commenced on Monday. The ITF Summit takes place from the 17th – 28th of May and will see Transport Ministers, policy makers and researchers from around the world meet virtually to discuss the future of transport.
Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD made the opening address at the Summit while a number of Irish speakers from the transport industry will continue to lead the dialogue across various sessions. The theme for this year’s virtual event is ‘Transport Innovation for Sustainable Development’ which will explore how innovation will play an important role in responding to the challenges posed by both climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Commenting on the historic occasion, Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Transport, said: “We are privileged to hold the presidency of the International Transport Forum for 2021 and look forward to working collaboratively with international colleagues over the next couple of weeks. The Summit will allow us to discuss how we can collectively address the key challenges facing the global transport sector today and take advantage of the opportunities provided by innovations in technology and policy design which will be crucial in allowing us to travel, safely and efficiently into the future.”
The Summit programme running over two weeks will include:
- Rachel Cahill, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) speaking at the session on Innovation for gender equality: A user’s perspective.
- Ken Spratt, Secretary General of the Department of Transport will chair a discussion with Rachel Cahill, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII, Anne Graham, National Transport Authority, Alan Murphy, Smart Dublin and Ewan Delany, Ministry of Transport, New Zealand at the Irish country event: Ireland – The Greener Path – A people centred approach to a sustainable island
- Jens Altmann, Enterprise Ireland, Alan Farrelly, Cityswift, Andrew Fleury, Luna Systems, Mike Manchip, Anadue and Sharon Masterson, International Transport Forum will be showcasing solutions to urban mobility at the event: Innovation Network – Irish technologies for smarter urban mobility
To find out more about the ITF Summit, visit www.2021.itf-oecd.org and to follow the livestream of a number of sessions, visit www.youtube.com/IntTransportForum
ITF is an intergovernmental organisation which acts as a ‘think tank’ for transport policy with over 1,000 participants attending the annual summit. Ireland currently holds the presidency of the ITF which offers an opportunity to promote Ireland’s innovation and sustainability ambitions on a global platform. The Presidency also chairs the Council of Ministers of Transport and the Transport Management Board meetings and has a leading role in organising the Annual Summit taking place during its tenure.
