Landmark world transport industry roadmap signed at IRU

The IRU World Congress wrapped up yesterday with the signing of the Muscat Compact, a roadmap for the future of road transport, mobility, trade and logistics. As a principle-based framework for cooperation, it will bring the industry together to take control of its future by using innovation to overcome current challenges and uncertainty.

The Muscat Compact focuses on four key elements: talent, trade, environment and innovation. It spurs collective action and guides public-private collaboration at a local, national, regional and global level. The Compact was discussed in a closed ministerial dialogue, examining how governments can work better with transport operators in supporting trade facilitation, building human capital, decarbonising and supporting innovation. Governments from 25 countries came together to plan a course of action to achieve industry objectives and global goals, notably as set out in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Muscat Compact was presented during the closing session by Emil Kaikiyev, Minister in charge of Energy and Infrastructure of the Eurasian Economic Commission, who called for collaboration between the public and private sectors in taking transport, trade and mobility forward. He said, “The Muscat Compact is the beginning of a new proactive era for transport, where we act together to design our future and we start building it.”

Secretary-General of IRU, Umberto de Pretto, added, “This is a defining moment for the industry. We can’t predict the future, but we can forge our own destiny within it. The survival of the industry – of global prosperity – depends on it.” The Compact was one of many positive outcomes of the three-day global event, which saw global decision-makers come together to support transport operators in boosting trade facilitation, good regulation, digitalisation and intermodal efficiency