On 17 November 2021, Gennady Bessonov, Secretary General of the CCTT participated in the SPECA Economic Forum «Sustainable Transport and Trade for a Green and Inclusive Economy after the Pandemic»

On 17 November 2021, Gennady Bessonov, CCTT Secretary General, participated in the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Economic Forum «Sustainable Transport and Trade for a Green and Inclusive Economy after the Pandemic» in hybrid format in Tashkent on 17-18 November 2021.

This year's SPECA Economic Forum focused on improving efficiency and disseminating best practices in transportation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

A key element in this effort is ensuring seamless transportation connectivity as one of the most important factors in enhancing the competitiveness of SPECA participating countries.

«Given the environmental benefits of using railway and its high resilience, greater rail transport development is important for increased sustainability and resilience of the SPECA economies» - says the document of UNECE, ESCAP and the Republic of Uzbekistan dedicated to the SPECA Economic Forum - 2021.

Addressing the participants of the sectoral session entitled «How to restore connectivity and build back more sustainable transport system in the SPECA subregion», the CCTT Secretary General outlined the main challenges and trends in Euro-Asian transport: reliability, safety, environmental friendliness and the need for the wide application of digital technology solutions.

«The growing volume of transportation, expansion of its geography, focus on environmental friendliness and safety of transportation make us move faster, seek and find new contacts in the international arena, study and propose for implementation best practices and technological solutions. We are moving forward and are open to cooperation.

In particular, one of the tasks we see now is the need to work out and implement a through schedule for international container trains, which would allow customers to clearly estimate transit times and adapt their production and technological processes to them.

Of course, we have to move towards a wider application of the CIM/SMGS consignment note, including in electronic form, to strive for its recognition not only by transport but also by customs authorities.

In general, I would like to emphasize that now more than ever before the international dialogue on information technologies is important. This dialogue cannot be postponed.

Yes, today we often encounter the problem of delays at border crossings, because both the infrastructure and cross-border technological solutions were prepared for other volumes. A lot of work is needed here, backed up by both financing and appropriate technology» Gennady Bessonov said in his speech.

He expressed his sincere gratitude to UNECE and ESCAP for their great work on the development of transport connectivity in Eurasia, and called for an active and substantive exchange of views and best practices among all stakeholders aimed improving transport connectivity on the continent.