Press Release
- Air & Transportation
Results of the 14th Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum in Asia
The Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ), held the 14th Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum in Asia, at Aichi Sky Expo - Aichi International Exhibition Hall, from October 18 to 20, 2021. The theme of the forum was "Next Generation Transport Systems for Achieving SDGs and Carbon Neutrality - for a Safer, Affordable, Accessible and Resilient Asia," and participants from national and local governments in Asia, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), and other international organizations held discussions. At the opening of the conference, Minister YAMAGUCHI Tsuyoshi, MOEJ, disseminated the need for action in the field of transportation in the Asian region toward the realization of a decarbonized society. In addition, the Aichi Declaration 2030, which sets out the EST targets for the Asian region by 2030, was adopted.
The outline and main results of the 14th Forum are as follows:
Dates: October 18-20, 2021
Location: Aichi Sky Expo - Aichi International Exhibition Hall, and online
Organizers: MOEJ, UNCRD, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), ADB
Participants: Ministerial-level officials of 24 Asian governments (environment and transportation ministries, etc.), heads of local governments and other officials of Asian countries, academic experts and other specialists in the field of transportation and environment, officials of international organizations, etc.
(Afghanistan, Iran, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Cambodia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Bhutan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, Mongolia, Laos, Russia)
Main results:
-
At the opening of the forum, Minister Yamaguchi, MOEJ, expressed his hope that the Asian region will evolve decarbonization in the transportation sector to a new phase and lead the global climate change measures. He also emphasized the need to accelerate actions through international cooperation.
-
The Aichi Declaration, which sets out the goals of EST by 2030 in line with international trends such as the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, was adapted in order to accelerate the initiatives toward decarbonization in Asia.
-
In each session, participants exchanged information on the decarbonization of the transportation sector in Asia, the improvement of resilience to climate change, disasters, and pandemics, and the improvement of accessibility to achieve the SDGs.
-
Japan introduced its efforts toward carbon neutrality by 2050 and the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) as a framework for international cooperation to realize EST.
Reference Link:
-
MOEJ Channel (YouTube) "Minister Yamaguchi's message (The 14th Regional EST Forum in Asia) (Japanese)
https://www.youtube.com/user/kankyosho
-
About the 14th Regional EST Forum in Asia / UN Web (English)
https://sdgs.un.org/events/high-level-14th-regional-est-forum-asia
-
United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD)
About Regional EST Forum in Asia:
The Forum aims to promote high-level policy dialogue in collaboration with the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) for environmentally sustainable transportation in the Asian region. The 14th Forum was held jointly with the 3rd Japan-ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) High-Level Meeting (organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan (MLITJ)) and the High-Level Panel on Water and Disaster (HELP) Expert Meeting (organized by MLITJ and others) as the Aichi 2021 International Conference on Sustainable and Resilient Cities and Transport.
Establishment: 2005
Main Activities
1. Information sharing and exchange of opinions on policies and advanced cases of EST
2. Provide advice and information from experts and academics in the fields of environment and transportation
3. Support for developing countries to formulate national strategies and action plans for EST and support for realization of the action plans by participation of international cooperation organizations
4 Establishment of collaboration for actions and initiatives toward EST promotion among regional and international relationships
Attachments:
-
Aichi Declaration 2030 (Original English text)
-
Aichi Declaration 2030 (Japanese / Provisional translation)
Please refer to the following URL for the Attachments: