Asian EST Initiative

About Asian EST Initiative

Collaborating with the Ministry of Environment, Government of Japan, other governments, and relevant national / international organizations and in line with the recommendations made in the Aichi Statement (August 2005) and the Manila Statement (January 2004), the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) is promoting the Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) in Asia by initiating a range of activities, including formulation of national strategies with short and long-term actions and establishment of a Regional EST Forum.

Objectives of Asian EST Initiative

Promote EST through a range of activities such as catalyzing local /national level actions to formulate/promote appropriate set of policy instruments and programmes;
Establish Knowledge Base (KB) on EST in Asia to meet the needs of the developing countries in the region;
Develop a set of policy relevant EST performance indicators to assess performance and governance of government agencies in EST thematic areas. The indicators would be developed through extensive consultation with the mayors, relevant Ministries/agencies, local governments, and other stakeholders;
Formulate national Strategy-cum-Action Plan on EST for selected countries involving all key stakeholders at national level and addressing short-term, medium-term and long- term targets / commitments / activities / measures;
Set in motion a regional mechanism to promote collaborative efforts towards harmonization of vehicle inspection and maintenance (I/M), roadside air quality monitoring, fuel quality standards, monitoring exhaust gas emissions, road safety and maintenance, and traffic noise management;
Increase awareness and capacity at local, sub-national, national, and regional (ASEAN, GMS, South Asia, etc) level on various aspects of environmentally sustainable transport (vehicle emission control and inspection and maintenance (I/M), cleaner fuel, road side air quality monitoring and assessment, transport planning and demand management (TDM), road safety and maintenance, traffic noise management, environment and people friendly urban transport infrastructures, land use planning, strengthening knowledge base, public education, health and awareness, etc.) through workshops/trainings and Regional EST Forum;
Facilitate cooperation/partnership among the countries on the exchange of information, tools, technology and experiences on innovative environmentally sustainable transport system by documenting and analyzing best practices and lessons learned, and disseminate them among the stakeholders of target countries through trainings/workshop/consultations/expert meetings/forums;
Facilitate cooperation/partnership between the Asian countries and possible donors active in EST areas.

Key Components of Asian EST Initiative

Regional ESTForum
National EST Strategies
Capacity Building of Environment and Transport Authorities