Highlights of the International Transport Forum 2013
Funding Transport: Session Summaries
Demand for mobility around the globe is growing rapidly. Motorisation in emerging
economies continues at breath-taking pace, with the number of motor vehicles on the
world’s streets rising, according to some estimates, from just over 1 billion today
to 2 billion in 2020. Air passenger travel could double, air freight could triple
and container handling in ports could quadruple within the next 15 years or so, according
to OECD projections.
If we do not want to stifle trade and economic growth and the opportunities these
bring for our citizens, we must invest in infrastructure - and we must do so now.
Global investment needs to 2030 for key global transport infrastructure alone is estimated
by OECD at USD 11 trillion. But policy makers face a difficult dilemma: Almost everywhere
public budgets are squeezed as never before in the wake of the global financial and
economic crisis. And they are likely to remain tight for quite some time.
The International Transport Forum’s Summit brought together Ministers from ITF member
countries and many business leaders in total 1 000 delegates from 79 nations to test
ideas, to engage with experts, to align perceptions on the funding issue and explore
ways to address it. This publication presents the essence of this substantive debate.
Published on January 17, 2014Also available in: French, German