30 October 2014: Senior officials representing over 42 African countries have adopted a framework for a transition to sustainable transport, with a view to curbing air pollution, boosting the use of sustainable fuels and improving road safety. The roadmap aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the use of low-emission non-motorized transport, and increasing the quality of public transport and investment in clean technologies.
The adoption of the framework was witnessed by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon on 30 October 2014, at the Africa Sustainable Transport Forum (ASTF), which was organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Bank and UN-Habitat, and hosted by the Government of Kenya in Nairobi.
The ASTF comprised a two-day experts’ session, followed by a one-day Ministerial session. Parallel activities, including demonstration projects and South-South exchanges, were also held.
The key outcome of the event, the ‘ASTF Action Framework,’ sets priority activities and an organizational structure for the Forum. Substantive priority areas will include road safety, accessibility and infrastructure, emissions, and enabling conditions. Kenya will oversee a ‘hybrid’ secretariat composed by the African Union (AU), the World Bank and UNEP. The Forum will take shape in biennial continent-wide meetings, with sub-regional meetings in the interim years. The next Forum, planned for late 2015, will make a formal decision on organizational matters.
The ASTF will seek ways to integrate sustainable development into development and planning processes, and increase funding to transport programs in the region. The ultimate goals of the initiative include enhanced access to transport, lower levels of air pollution and greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions, and improved road safety and health.
In his remarks, Kenyatta noted the importance of this shared plan for integrating sustainable transport into the region’s development for achieving the African Agenda 2063. In addition to its environmental benefits, the sustainable transport roadmap will also improve health at a time when rapid urbanization on the continent threatens detrimental health effects due to air pollution.
While per capita CO2 emissions are quite low in Africa, consumption of fossil fuels is rapidly growing in countries like Kenya. Commenting on the framework, Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, pointed to this moment as a window of opportunity for climate change mitigation as transport infrastructure spending grows at an unprecedented rate on the continent. Transportation is the fastest growing consumer of fossil fuels and source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. [UNEP Press Release] [UNSG Remarks] [Africa Sustainable Transport Forum Webpage] [UNEP Transport Unit Webpage]