In a ceremony today, Thursday, 25th May, during a two-day summit of transport ministers from across the world in Leipzig, Germany, Transport Secretary Mark Harper handed over the presidency of the International Transport Forum (ITF) to Lithuania.

The International Transport Forum is a world-leading intergovernmental organisation for transport policy. It is hosted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and brings together over 60 countries.

The UK has held the presidency for the last 12 months, and at the handing-over ceremony, the Transport Secretary reiterated the UK’s condemnation of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the devastating impact it has had on Ukraine’s transport infrastructure.

Issuing a joint statement with the vice-presidencies of Lithuania and Chile, the Transport Secretary highlighted the impact of war on Ukraine’s transport infrastructure and called for a change to ITF rules to adapt to an unprecedented rise in global events.

Later this week, Mark Harper is due to meet his German counterpart in Berlin to discuss UK-German cooperation on transport, including the possibility of authorising a high-speed rail connection.

A statement by the Transport Secretary in conjunction with vice-presidencies Lithuania and Chile said “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, Transport Secretary Mark Harper 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 UK also asked for the general rules of the ITF to be changed so that the organisation can more readily respond and adapt to unprecedented events in the future, such as with coronavirus (COVID-19) and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Whilst at the summit, the Transport Secretay chaired meetings of the inter-governmental Zero Emissions Vehicles Transition Council (ZEVTC) when discussions took place around efforts to reach a target of zero emission heavy goods vehicles which are essential to decarbonising our roads and meeting global climate targets.

When the UK took over the presidency, the former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps outlined five priorities for the UK during its tenure: leading global transport transformation by making transport more connected, greener, inclusive, safe and resilient, and innovative.