The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has approved guidelines to support the recovery of road freight transport among its member states amid the pandemic.
The COVID-19 Recovery Guidelines for Resilient and Sustainable International Road Freight Transport Connectivity in ASEAN will support member states to develop national and regional plans that focus on resilient and sustainable road freight connectivity, the regional grouping said in a statement.
The member states will provide recommendations for responses to the pandemic crisis in three priority areas, namely: transport workers’ safety and training; preserving connectivity for efficient and resilient supply chains; and building back better through digital, resilient and decarbonized transport connectivity in immediate, medium and long-term framework to support the development of cross-border road freight transport in the region.
Specifically, the guidelines:
categorize policy responses to Covid-19 related to transport connectivity and resilience;
propose principles for implementation of policies and measures;
suggest a communication mechanism for the timely exchange of relevant information, and
provide insights for the creation of a real-time monitoring tool to gauge the impact of policy interventions on transport connectivity, capacity and resilience.
Developed with the assistance of the International Transport Forum (ITF) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the guidelines were approved ad-referendum by the ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM) on January 11, 2021.
ASEAN Secretary General Dato Lim Jock Hoi said “the Guidelines support ASEAN’s efforts in improving the stability of road freight flows in the region toward longer-term resilience, preparedness, and competitiveness of ASEAN. They are also in line with the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, which serves as the region’s coordinated exit strategy from the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in restoring transport connectivity in the region.
“Cooperation with ITF and ESCAP in developing the Guidelines signifies the importance of collaboration to support the region’s recovery.”
The Guidelines are part of initiatives under the Implementation Plan of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, which was adopted at the 37th ASEAN Summit in November 2020. The Guidelines are available online at: https://asean.org/storage/aseancovid-19-guidelines.pdf
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