The 8th UIC Asian Management Committee and 10th Asian Regional Assembly took place on 5 December in Beijing, alongside the UIC General Assembly and UIC HIGHSPEED 2010. At the invitation of the Ministry of Railways (MoR), a high turnout of members came to take stock of the actions planned for 2010 and prepare the plan for 2011. On this occasion, it was confirmed that the mandates of Korail Chairman Huh Joon Young as Regional Chairman and KTZ Chairman Askar Mamin as Regional Vice-Chairman would be renewed. The mandates of the heads of JR East, IR, Korail and MoR for Asia, RZD for Russia, QR for Oceania and KTZ for Central Asia were also renewed following a unanimous decision.
Despite financial difficulties in 2010, the planned activities were successfully conducted within a balanced budget framework; some of these activities are to conclude in 2011. On the other hand, clear funding methods for activities in 2011 have been decided and will enable an ambitious programme of strategic action in the common interest to be launched (centring on training, signalling and safety). These activities will be complemented by actions carried out individually by various members in conjunction with other members in Europe (high speed, signalling, rolling stock), all of which will be supported by the UIC technical departments, platforms and forums, thus helping boost international cooperation. In this regard, the Asian Regional Assembly has appointed its four representatives to the Rail System Forum Steering Committee, who will be tasked with feeding the Asian perspective into work to develop the forum’s strategic course of action.
Finally, this assembly also served as an occasion to preview the actions foreseen for 2012 and, at the same time as launching the 2011 action plan, to initiate the preparation process for the next plan. All the participants applauded the in-depth technical presentations, which also addressed vital and strategic topics in the region. At the end of meeting Chairman Huh Joon Young expressed his satisfaction at the cohesion and consensus established at this assembly.
