|
Download this document in:
|
GENERAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Fifty-sixth session EMERGING ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENTS AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL: TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATIONS, TOURISM AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT (Item 7 (d) of the provisional agenda) REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMISSION RESOLUTION 52/9 ON INTRA-ASIA AND ASIA-EUROPE LAND BRIDGES
CONTENTS
Recognizing the critical role played by transport and communications in the economic and social development of the region and the emphasis increasingly being placed by members and associate members of ESCAP on developing and strengthening intraregional and interregional land transport linkages as part of an integrated regional transport system to sustain growth in international trade and tourism and for the further promotion of regional economic cooperation, the Commission at its fifty-second session adopted resolution 52/9 of 24 April 1996 on intra-Asia and Asia-Europe land bridges. Resolution 52/9 concerns the implementation of activities under the Asian land transport infrastructure development (ALTID) project, a priority ESCAP project comprising the Trans-Asian Railway and Asian Highway projects, as well as the facilitation of land transport at border crossings, mainly through the implementation of Commission resolution 48/11 of 23 April 1992 on road and rail transport modes in relation to facilitation measures. In resolution 52/9, the Commission requests the Executive Secretary to report to it biennially on the progress in the implementation of the resolution. The last report on the progress in the implementation of resolutions and major decisions of the Commission in transport, communications, tourism and infrastructure development (1) was considered by the Commission at its fifty-fourth session, held in 1998. Since then considerable progress has been made in the implementation of resolution 52/9, as indicated in the following sections. I. PROGRESS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOLUTION 52/9 5. The main emphasis of the resolution is on (a) the formulation of the Trans-Asian Railway and Asian Highway networks and the setting up of the related standards and requirements, and (b) facilitation of land transport at border crossings through the implementation of resolution 48/11. The progress achieved so far is discussed below. A. Trans-Asian Railway and Asian Highway 6. The Trans-Asian Railway network reflects all major intra-Asia and Asia-Europe land bridges. However, the land bridges Northern Europe-Russian Federation-Central Asia-Persian Gulf and North-East Asia-South-East Asia will be the subject of further study to refine the network. 7. The study on the Trans-Asian Railway in the southern corridor as well as the container transport demonstration project (phase I) in the northern corridor, which was undertaken in order to demonstrate the advantages of the rail routes as compared with the related sea routes, was completed in 1999. The findings were considered at the policy-level expert group meetings held in May 1999 at Dhaka and in February 2000 at Bangkok. 8. The Asian Highway network had been formulated for the whole of Asia, with the exception of Bhutan, the Russian Federation and the Korean peninsula. With the completion of the study on a road network connecting China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation and the Korean peninsula, the formulation exercise will be complete for the whole of Asia, except Bhutan, which has so far not expressed any interest in joining the Asian Highway project. 9. In addition, the Asian Highway database that was established for the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is being expanded to include the countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) as a step towards eventual coverage of the entire network. A strategy for upgrading routes and guidelines for the promotion of the Asian Highway was also prepared. Moreover, the strategy for the implementation of the ALTID project has been refined as indicated in section C below. 10. In addition to the progress relating to infrastructure, some improvements were also made in the facilitation of land transport at border crossings, as indicated in section B below. B. Facilitation of land transport at border crossings 11. With the completion of the subregional seminars on the benefits of accession to the international conventions listed in Commission resolution 48/11, the main emphasis from 1998 onwards was placed on conducting related national seminars. 12. As a result of all the actions taken, remarkable progress was observed in the countries of Central Asia (see table). Uzbekistan has acceded to all seven conventions listed in the resolution, while Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan each became party to four conventions. Armenia and Mongolia each acceded to two conventions and Azerbaijan to one. With its recent accession to an additional convention, the Islamic Republic of Iran is now a party to four conventions. However, much work remains to be done with regard to the accession to conventions and the implementation of resolution 48/11. 13. At national level, one of the next important steps in the implementation of resolution 48/11 will be to carry out related activities in the ECO region within the framework of the ECO/ESCAP/UNCTAD project on international multimodal transport operations in the ECO region, funded by the Islamic Development Bank. Actual implementation of the project is expected to begin in mid-2000. C. Refined strategy for the implementation of the ALTID project 14. In view of the experience gained and some factors which have emerged during the implementation of the ALTID project since 1994, the Commission at its fifty-fourth session, held in 1998, endorsed the refined strategy for the implementation of the project. 15. The refined strategy comprises the following:
16. The approach adopted for implementation of the strategy included the following:
17. In endorsing the refined strategy, the Commission at its fifty-fifth session noted that the implementation of the ALTID project demonstrated clearly the practical importance of the project in facilitating international trade and tourism. The Commission reiterated its strong support for the project as a priority within phase I (1997-2001) of the New Delhi Action Plan on Infrastructure Development in Asia and the Pacific. 18. However, since the components of the refined strategy are rather broad and only limited resources are available, it has become essential to identify the main thrust areas for implementation on a priority basis in the future. To this end, the following sections highlight some of the main thrust areas. A. Recommendations of the Committee on Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development at its second session 19. At its second session, held at Bangkok in November 1999, the Committee requested that the main thrust in the implementation of the ALTID project should be (a) the completion of the formulation of the Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway networks covering the whole of Asia, including the missing links, and (b) the operationalization/improvement of the efficiency of international land transport corridors. 20. The Committee also requested the secretariat to undertake the following activities on a priority basis:
21. With regard to the facilitation of land transport, the Committee urged member countries to nominate focal points and to establish facilitation committees comprising all the ministries and agencies involved, if they had not already done so, and to share experiences in the accession to and implementation of the conventions. It also requested the secretariat to organize further national-level seminars to promote accession to the conventions. The Committee also recognized the need to extend the scope of resolution 48/11 to include road transport conventions on the work of crews, temporary importation of private vehicles, and the transport of dangerous goods and perishable foodstuffs, and to consider the inclusion of rail transport conventions. In this context, the Commission may wish to consider adopting a new resolution with expanded scope to replace resolution 48/11. 22. The Committee noted the value of subregional agreements in facilitating international transport, especially in cases where there were no international conventions or where the issues addressed were only subregional in nature. For issues addressed in conventions, it was recommended that the main text, annexes and protocols should draw upon the international conventions. In that respect, it was recommended that the organizations assisting in drafting those agreements, such as ASEAN and ECO, should cooperate closely in order to ensure consistency among the various agreements, particularly with respect to subregional agreements or transit agreements along certain corridors. 23. The Committee stressed the need to promote further cooperation between ESCAP and other international organizations concerned, particularly ECE, the European Union, the International Union of Railways (UIC), the Organization of Railways Cooperation (OSShD), the International Road Transport Union (IRU), the International Road Federation (IRF) and the World Road Association (PIARC) in the identification and development of the main Asia-Europe land bridges, and establish similar cooperation with ESCWA and ECA for the development of Asia-Middle East-Africa land bridges. A memorandum of understanding between ESCAP and UIC is being prepared. A similar memorandum between ESCAP and OSShD was signed in 1998. 24. The Committee noted with appreciation the activities undertaken by ECE, ESCWA, ASEAN, ECO, ADB and UIC in strengthening transport network linkages and operation and in improving facilitation measures in their respective areas. It expressed satisfaction with the increased level of cooperation between ESCAP, ECE, ECO, ASEAN and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The cooperation of ESCAP and ECE in the implementation of resolution 48/11 and the SPECA programme was particularly appreciated. 25. The Committee stressed the importance of the second ALTID project assessment, to be carried out in 2001 and endorsed the plan of action for phase IV (2000-2001) of the ALTID project, as reflected in document E/ESCAP/CTCTID(2)/2 and Corr.1. This was essential to ensure that activities carried out under ALTID were of practical importance to the countries concerned and that concrete and measurable results were achieved. B. Recommendations of the Meeting of the Heads of Divisions Responsible for Transport of the United Nations Regional Commissions 26. The first meeting of the Heads of Divisions Responsible for Transport of the United Nations Regional Commissions was held at Cairo in December 1999. The purpose of the meeting was to initiate a dialogue among the five regional commissions on possible land and land-cum-sea transport linkages and to draw up an action plan in order to assist member countries to participate fully in the rapid economic globalization. Present at the meeting were the heads of divisions responsible for transport of ECE, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), ESCAP, ESCWA and ECA. The meeting identified the major interregional transport links, including those of Asia and Europe, which are indicated below:
28. The meeting also agreed that the following actions would be necessary:
Initiatives have already been taken by the secretariat to field missions to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey to undertake consultations with the concerned ministries/agencies regarding the road and rail links between Asia and Western Asia that were identified at the Cairo meeting of transport directors. 29. Furthermore, it was agreed that ESCAP, with contributions from other regional commissions, would prepare an interregional transport cooperation programme to be submitted to potential donors such as the United Nations Development Account. A programme proposal was under preparation when the present document was being finalized. The meeting of all the executive secretaries, held at Bangkok during UNCTAD-X, accorded high priority to the programme proposal. C. Recommendations of the International Conference on Euro-Asian Transport 30. In connection with the development of Asia-Europe land bridges, and in pursuance of the recommendation of the St. Petersburg Conference, work on the formulation of a joint ESCAP/ECE programme on development of transport links between Asia and Europe is in progress. 31. In this context, the ESCAP Committee on Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development at its second session identified five corridors. Subsequently, the secretariat identified, on a tentative basis, rail and road links between Asia and Europe as reflected in annexes I and II respectively of the present document. D. Improvement of the operational efficiency of land bridges 32. Along with the ongoing identification of major Asia-Europe and intra-Asia land bridges, increasing attention is being put by the secretariat on the improvement of their operational efficiency. The study on the Trans-Asian Railway in the southern corridor and the demonstration project (phase I) on development of Asia-Europe container transport through block trains in the northern corridor completed in 1999 and the SPECA project working group on transport and border crossing could be mentioned as examples. 1. Trans-Asian Railway in the southern corridor 33. ESCAP in 1995 undertook a preliminary study of the route requirements for the Trans-Asian Railway in the southern corridor within the territories of Bangladesh, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The detailed study covering five additional countries, namely China, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Turkey, was to re-evaluate and redefine the route network in the corridor to analyse traffic demand as well as technical, operational and commercial requirements and to outline a development plan aiming at operationalization of the identified network. 34. The results of the study were considered by a policy-level expert group meeting held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in May 1999. 35. A major output of the meeting was the adoption of an action plan for the development of the Trans-Asian Railway in the southern corridor of Asia-Europe routes. The plan stipulates immediate, short-term and long-term actions with special reference to the operationalization of the land bridges. 36. The meeting also agreed to establish a special working group on the development and operationalization of the Trans-Asian Railway in the southern corridor. ESCAP was requested to act as coordinator and facilitator in the organization and functioning of the working group. The establishment of the working group is in process in cooperation with UIC. 37. A similar working group was established (with ESCAP participation) in September 1999 for the Trans-Asian Railway route China-Kazakhstan-Russian Federation-Belarus-Poland-Germany. Initial work has already started and a follow up meeting is planned for mid-2000. 2. Demonstration project on development of Asia-Europe container transport through block trains in the Trans-Asian Railway northern corridor 38. Similar to the study mentioned above, an important feasibility study on connecting rail networks of China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation and the Korean peninsula was completed in 1995. A related expert group meeting was held in October 1995, which strongly supported follow-up work to develop the Trans-Asian Railway northern corridor. 39. Accordingly, a project on the development of Asia-Europe container transport through block trains (phase I) was carried out by ESCAP in cooperation with OSShD. The results of the study were considered by a policy-level expert group meeting which was held in February 2000 at Bangkok. The objective of the meeting was to determine the concrete steps to be taken. It was decided that the work should be undertaken in two stages. The first stage should aim at demonstration runs of container block trains along all the routes of the Trans-Asian Railway northern corridor, and the second stage should aim at full operationalization of commercial services on all the routes in the corridor. 40. The meeting recommended the establishment of a demonstration project working group for the entire corridor covering all five routes. The main functions of the working group should be to undertake all arrangements for actual demonstration runs. The working group, to be chaired by ESCAP, should work in close cooperation with OSShD and UIC, and should have the active participation of each railway involved. The meeting urged donors to provide financial support for the working group. 41. The meeting also recommended the establishment of a demonstration project national coordinating committee comprising officials from railways, customs, freight forwarders, telecommunications etc. in each country. The committee could be chaired by a high-ranking official responsible for railways who at the same time could represent the country in the working group. 42. The meeting also recommended that the main emphasis in the implementation of the project should be put on the preparation and execution of actual demonstration runs on all the routes under consideration. 43. The Meeting endorsed the phase II activities, which included a number of technical, commercial and organizational activities scheduled for the period 2000-2003. 3. Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia Project Working Group on Transport and Border Crossing 44. The Working Group, with Kazakhstan as the lead country, is expected to play an important role in the development of the land bridges across Central Asia. 45. After launching the joint ESCAP/ECE Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) in 1998, the Working Group conducted three sessions and adopted in 1999 its work programme for 1999-2000 with the main emphasis on facilitation of land transport at border crossings. 46. Unfortunately Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan did not participate in all the Working Group sessions, thus indicating a major problem in the functioning of the Group. 47. At the request of the Government of Kazakhstan, ESCAP provided in October 1999 advisory services to identify major problem areas in the operationalization of the Group and to recommend remedial measures. 48. The following major recommendation was made:
49. Resource mobilization is apparently a major problem in proper operationalization of SPECA including its Working Group. A clear cut SPECA policy needs to be adopted in this regard by all the members. The issue is being pursued together by the ESCAP and ECE secretariats. 50. It is quite clear that the implementation of resolution 52/9 is making an important contribution to the development of reliable and efficient land transport linkages to facilitate international trade and tourism. 51. The resolution and the ALTID project enjoy support of 28 countries in Asia and the related activities are being generously funded by the Governments of France, Germany, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The tasks are being carried out in close coordination with ECE, ESCWA, ECA, subregional organizations of ASEAN, ECO, SAARC as well as international organizations concerned, particularly IRU, IRF, OSShD, UIC. 52. Keeping in view the progress made in the implementation of resolution 52/9, the Commission may wish to consider the following issues:
|