On 26 November 2024, the UIC Africa Region hosted a webinar entitled “Railways as an efficient and sustainable solution” to celebrate the 2nd United Nations World Sustainable Transport Day.
With over 200 participants from all UIC regions and presentations from railways around the world, the event helped to highlight growing interest in the critical role that railways play in achieving efficient and sustainable transport solutions worldwide.
Among the keynote speakers were:
Said Chandid, on behalf of Mohamed Rabie Khlie, CEO of the Moroccan National Railways (ONCF), Chair of UIC Africa, Vice-Chair of UIC, who gave an overview of African railway development and how this represents a golden opportunity to bolster the African railways and support sustainable mobility in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Although the African continent is has been facing problems in terms of rehabilitation and expansion, revitalisation efforts are currently underway and are set to accelerate.
François Davenne, UIC Director General, said that the day was to remind us of the vital role that railways play as a sustainable transport mode and provide a platform to showcase this remarkable effort. This includes trains, integrated with other public transport and active travel, being a crucial solution to climate change, as shown by the IPCC report on mitigation which states that action here can halve transport emissions. To meet global climate targets, these successes must be scaled-up and accelerated. Decarbonisation is not just about improving efficiency within modes of transport but also about shifting demand from high-emission modes to low-emission alternatives, such as rail.
Robert Lisinge, Chief of the Energy, Infrastructure and Services Section of the Private Sector Development and Finance Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said that, “it is always gratifying to engage in opportunities and challenges on transport with emphasis on the railways”. He continued by stating that sustainable transport is not simply a desire but a mandate and a duty, and that rail development is key to fully harnessing Africa’s potential. The notion of sustainable transport is becoming a crucial and railway projects are becoming increasingly recognised for green financing.
During the webinar, moderated by Lucie Anderton, UIC Director of Sustainability, speakers from four regions shared the transformation that is happening in their organisations to position rail as the backbone of a sustainable mobility system. Speakers from AMTRAK, Trenitalia, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) and ONCF all highlighted the critical role that railways play in achieving efficient and sustainable mobility solutions worldwide and shared their exciting ambitions for the future.
This sets the scene for the start of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport starting in 2026. The UN has opened consultation on implementing this initiative and all members are welcomed to respond at UN Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026 – 2035.
