The road to sustainable transport

IRU called for a grounded and immediate approach to sustainable transport at the launch of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026-2035 in New York.

Road transport is the lifeline of society, keeping us fed, healthy and supplied with life's essentials. It gets us to school and work and connects us with our loved ones. All eight billion people who share this planet depend on it.

Speaking at the launch of the decade of sustainable transport in this spirit, IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said, "You cannot have social equity and environmental protection without economic development.

"And to have economic development, you need sustainable transport, especially road transport, which is the glue that links all modes together and makes entire supply chains efficient.

"Given the importance of sustainable road transport, IRU, in 1996, was the first global transport organisation to launch a sustainable development charter, which was then enshrined into IRU's Constitution.

"With the IRU Green Compact target of carbon neutrality by 2050, we have renewed our unprecedented commitment."

The Green Compact equips governments and companies across the world with proven, scalable and scientifically backed solutions. Green Compact research has shown that with the efficiency measures available today, the road transport sector can already reduce its carbon footprint by 50%.

For example, driver training can cut fuel consumption by 15%, while eco-truck combinations (two trailers instead of one) can reduce a truck's CO₂ emissions by 30%.

The steady transition to alternative fuels covers the remaining 50%, allowing the industry to reach carbon neutrality.

During the event, Eduardo Benevides, the Undersecretary of Sustainability for the Ministry of Transport of Brazil, launched a joint statement from the UNFCCC, COP30 Presidency, and Brazilian Ministry of Transport, aligning the COP Agenda with the implementation plan of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport.

The initiative puts the pivotal role of road transport in achieving COP30 goals and the decade's implementation activities firmly in the spotlight. It also highlights the instrumental role of the United Nations TIR Convention in reducing CO₂ emissions. TIR has been shown to slash CO₂ emissions at border crossings by 90%.

"We need to focus on pragmatic solutions such as the TIR system," said Umberto de Pretto. "The public and private sectors must work hand in hand to achieve what is already possible today. Instead of talking about the decade of sustainable transport, let's start acting."

From talking to acting

The event was followed by an implementation workshop by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs with member states, international financial institutions, private sector representatives and non-governmental organisations.

The workshop explored measures for a successful decade of sustainable transport, including targets for the decade; policy approaches; multilateral collaboration; and capacity building and transport data.

Working together

IRU also held a series of bilateral meetings to turn talk into action.

In a meeting with the senior leadership of the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UNOHRLLS), Umberto de Pretto discussed IRU's involvement and contribution to the UN SG Panel of Freedom of Transit.

UNOHRLLS and IRU also agreed on joint professional qualification projects and workshops on cross-border road transport facilitation.

In a separate meeting, Umberto de Pretto and Nicolas Petier-Thiberge, the World Bank's Global Director for the Transport Global Department, discussed a dedicated action plan to implement the recently published IRU-World Bank comprehensive road transport sector reform guide. A special focus was placed on projects in Latin America and Brazil's decarbonisation.