26 August 2010: The Fifth Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum in Asia met in Bangkok, Thailand, from 23-25 August 2010, to draft and adopt the Bangkok 2020 Declaration.

Co-organized by the UN Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), the Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia (ESCAP), the event was attended by ministries of environment and transport of 22 nations, international experts and international organizations and research institutions engaged in EST.

The main outcome of the meeting was the Bangkok 2020 Declaration, which will be submitted to CSD 19 by the Government of Thailand. The Declaration begins by recognizing that the majority of global increases in transport-related carbon dioxide emissions until 2030 will come from privately owned motor vehicles in Asia. It continues by elaborating participants’ agreements to voluntarily develop and realize integrated and sustainable transport policy options, programs and projects that will help realize 20 EST goals and objectives by the year 2020 in the Asian region. These goals fall under the categories of: strategies to avoid unnecessary travel and reduce trip distances; strategies to shift toward more sustainable modes; strategies to improve transport practices and technologies; and cross-cutting strategies. The Declaration also contains an annex laying out a comprehensive list of indicators to be used as possible guidelines for objective measurement of the efficiency and effectiveness of transport systems. [The Declaration] [Website of Fifth Regional EST Forum in Asia]