[sustran] Seoul Statement - Fourth Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport Forum

Sudhir sudhir at cai-asia.org
Fri Feb 27 19:34:26 JST 2009


Please have a look at the SEOUL statement from Fourth Regional
Environmentally Sustainable Transport Forum
**
*SEOUL STATEMENT*



*~ Towards the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) for a
Low-Carbon Society and Green Growth in Asia ~*



The participants, having met in Seoul, the Republic of Korea from 24 to 26
February 2009, for the Fourth Regional EST Forum, to draw up and adopt a
statement for the promotion of environmentally sustainable transport in
Asia,



Noting that Asia is experiencing the fastest economic growth and by mid of
this century, and at the current growth rate there might be more motorized
vehicles in Asia than there would be in Europe and North America combined,
and that the profound impact of this trend on quality of human life and
environment can not be underestimated,



Reaffirming and building upon the integrated EST measures defined under the
Aichi Statement adopted at the First Regional EST Forum in Asia, held in
Nagoya, Japan, on 1-2 August 2005, and considering that efforts to promote
environmentally sustainable transport will not only result in the
improvement of human health through the reduction of urban air pollution,
but will also have important complementary (co-)benefits, including the
reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions,



Recognizing the outcome of the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment
and Development in Asia and the Pacific held in Seoul in 2005, which
endorsed environmentally sustainable economic growth, Green Growth, as a
policy focus and important strategy for achieving the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) as well as decoupling environmental degradation from
development,



Noting the commitment made by the Ministries of Health in Member States in
the resolution of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in
September 2008 to assess the health implications of the decisions made on
climate change by the transport sector and advocate for the decision that
provide opportunities for improving health,



Realizing that transport services affect all aspects of sustainability -
social, economic, and environmental - and that there is a need for safe,
clean, and energy-efficient transport in order to achieve green growth
through low-carbon transport in Asia, the participants are thus called upon
to:



1. address transport issues with the broader environmental aims of green
growth to encompass the transport-energy-carbon emission nexus, from energy
consumption to the emissions and climate change perspectives;

2. develop strategies for low-carbon transport including the increasing
shift to energy-efficient and low carbon modes to mitigate the effects of
transport on climate, and the effects of climate

change on transport services and other socioeconomic sectors;

3. focus on sustainable mobility and transport demand management (TDM) tools
and measures [such as – parking controls (including parking charges and
pricing), road pricing and congestion charging, fuel and vehicle taxation,
low and zero emission zones, car-free day, city centre pedestrianization,
public transport priority and improvement measures, transit oriented
development, appropriate road- space allocation to high-occupancy vehicles,
efficient and affordable mass transit systems (such as BRT), and measures to
help and develop non-motorized transport (walking and cycling) ], etc. with
stakeholder consultation and participation rather than relying only on
end-of-pipe solutions, so that local air pollutants and GHG emissions from
transport sector can be addressed concurrently and effectively, thereby
contributing to materializing a Low Carbon Asian Society;

4. as far as possible exploit benefits of adopting intelligent transport
system (ITS), and of utilizing market mechanisms such as tax credits for
environmentally friendly technologies, to make the transport services
environment and people friendly, cost effective as well as energy efficient;

5. develop city partnerships and collaboration across national boundaries
within Asia and between Asian cities and cities from other regions for
mutual technical assistance and cooperation on implementing environmentally
sound practices in transport sector, including recognition of the special
needs of the post conflict countries;

6. strengthen regional cooperation, in particular among the international
organizations and donors active in the region and member countries, to
further improve and deepen the transport agenda at energy efficiency and
climate change-related fora, including the Conference of Parties (COP), for
achieving low-carbon society and green growth bearing in mind the ultimate
objective of reducing global emissions under the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC); and

7. request international organizations and donor communities to mobilize
necessary capacity building services and financial support to the developing
member countries to enable them to overcome the complex technical barriers
involved in developing transport projects for taking full benefit of the GHG
market under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) stipulated by Kyoto
Protocol.
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