[sustran] UN NGO Sustainable Transport Caucus

[ITDP]

APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTINGS

Dear all:

This message is an invitation to join and/or support the UN NGO
Sustainable Transport Caucus.

BACKGROUND:
In order to better organize their input into various UN conferences and
commissions, internationally active NGOs have formed a number of
issue-specific caucuses.  This process is currently being formalized. 
This presents us with an opportunity to revive interest in the currently
dormant Sustainable Transport caucus.

HISTORY OF THE SUSTAINABLE TRANPSORT CAUCUS:
Realizing that issues of sustainable transportation, access and mobility
were not sufficiently addressed in the draft documents prepared for the
UN Habitat II (City Cummit) conference in 1996, the Institute for
Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and the Internatinal Union
for Public Tranpsport (UITP,) together with a number of individual
transport experts took the lead in the spring of 96 to form the UN NGO
Sustainable Transport Caucus.  

PURPOSE OF THE SUSTAINABLE TRANPSORT CAUCUS:
The UN NGO Sustainable Tranpsort Caucus concerns itself with all issues
related to environmentally sustainable and socially equitable
transportation, giving particular attention to the access and mobility
needs of the least empowered parts of the population such as women and
the poor.  The caucus is also concerned about the ill effects of
unchecked motorization on the global environment and human health.

ACTIVITIES OF THE SUSTAINABLE TRANPSORT CAUCUS:
Andy Anderson of London Transport/UITP and myself have been the
coordinators for the caucus for the last two years.  Our coalition of
groups very sucessfully influenced transport-relevant language in the
Habitat II Global Plan of Action in Istanbul, esp. raising the
visibility of non-motorized transport and "polluter pays" issues.  We
also organized events at the Habitat NGO Forum and have been active at
the annual UN CSD meetings in New York.  Our activity has dwindled since
Rio+5 in the summer of 1997, however, and no formal elections were held
at CSD-6 in April 98.

The UN NGO Sterring committee has now asked Andy and me to serve as
interim coordinators until the next UN CSD(7) in April 99 and to develop
a more formal membership list for the caucus.  Now here's the catch (at
least as I understand it):

According to the new NGO Steering Committee guidelines, issues caucuses
should consist of at least ten NGO with accredited NGO status at the UN.

HERE IS HOW TO JOIN OR SUPPORT THE CAUCUS:  just send an email, i.e:
1)	If you are an NGO interested in sustainable transport issues and you
already have UN ECOSOC or another valid NGO status at the UN, all you
need to do is send an email to me (at mobility at igc.apc.org) and Megan
Howell at the UN NGO Steering Committee (meganh at wfuna-art.com) asking to
be put on the transport caucus membership list.

2)	If you are not an accredited NGO but are still interested in
remaining on the transporty caucus mailing list and want to provide us
with input on particular issues, please send an email to me only (at
mobility at igc.apc.org).  (This also goes for individuals who lack a
formal NGO affiliation altogether.)

In either case, don't worry about crowding your mailbox with any more
lengthy messages from me from now on, as there will be only very limited
issue-specific activity  by the caucus over the next year.  
In fact, all of this is really more about getting formalized and
organized for the year 2000.  This is when the 5 year CSD Work Program
finally takes up tranpsort as one of its main topics.

Please pass this message on to other groups that you think would be
interested.

Thanks and best regards from the Big Apple,

---Deike

__________________________________
Deike Peters
Director of Environmental Programs
ITDP
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