-
Transport Secretary reiterates condemnation of Russia’s war
on Ukraine as he hands over UK’s presidency of the
International Transport Forum to Lithuania
-
joint statement with vice-presidents Lithuania and Chile
highlights impact of war on Ukraine’s transport
infrastructure and calls for change to ITF rules to adapt to
unprecedented global events
-
Transport Secretary due to meet his German counterpart in
Berlin later in the week to discuss UK-German cooperation on
transport including a possible high-speed rail connection
Transport Secretary has reiterated
the UK’s condemnation of
Russia’s war on Ukraine – highlighting the devastating impact
it’s had on the country’s transport infrastructure – during a
2-day summit of transport ministers from across the world in
Leipzig, Germany.
The UK has held the
presidency of the International Transport Forum (ITF) for the past year,
and today (25 May 2023) issued a statement – in
conjunction with vice-presidencies Lithuania and Chile –
highlighting the work the ITF has done to
support Ukraine in rebuilding its transport systems and
infrastructure.
As part of our ongoing support to Ukraine and its people,
the UK rail
industry has made several donations of critical rail
infrastructure and humanitarian aid, recently delivering £10
million in materials to repair rail infrastructure and to
facilitate the movement of grain out of Ukraine. Bolstering the
country’s skillset, Ukrainian engineers were trained in
the UK on how to
use the bridge repair materials, too.
In a speech during the forum, the Transport Secretary said:
As the UK hands
over the ITF presidency, we do
so not just with pride at what ITF has achieved over
the past 12 months, but also a commitment to continue championing
the values and aims of this vital organisation.
But sadly, those values and aims aren’t shared by all. We
continue to see parts of Ukraine laid waste by Putin’s illegal
war.
Today’s joint presidencies statement, from the UK, Lithuania and Chile, shows Ukraine
doesn’t stand alone.
The statement came as the UK handed over its year-long
presidency of the ITF to Lithuania
during the 2-day annual summit.
The UK also called
for amendments to the general rules of the ITF to make sure the
organisation can be more flexible in responding and adapting to
future unprecedented events as seen with coronavirus (COVID-19)
and the invasion of Ukraine.
The ITF is a
world-leading intergovernmental organisation for transport policy
bringing together over 60 countries, hosted by the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Last year, former Transport Secretary assumed the presidency by
outlining 5 priorities for the UK’s tenure: leading global transport
transformation by making transport more connected, greener,
inclusive, safe and resilient, and innovative.
Also during the summit, chaired meetings of the
inter-governmental Zero Emissions Vehicles
Transition Council (ZEVTC), which he used to discuss efforts
to transition to zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) –
essential to decarbonising our roads and meeting global climate
targets.
He also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Chile,
Brazil, South Korea and Switzerland, discussing how to increase
collaboration between the UK and its international partners
around the world to tackle shared transport priorities.
Following the ITF summit, the
Transport Secretary will travel to Berlin to meet his
counterpart Dr Volker
Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, and Richard
Lutz, CEO of Deutsche Bahn.
Next month, the UK will host the Ukraine Recovery
Conference – a continuation of the series of annual events
dedicated to Ukraine’s transformation. The first took place in
London in 2017 as the Ukraine Reform Conference.
This year’s conference will focus on the mobilisation of
international and private sector support for the economic and
social stabilisation of Ukraine.
