REAgenda Item 1 Intergovernmental Agreement on Asian Highway

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2nd Expert Group Meeting Euro-Asian Transport
Linkages 3-5 November 2004, Odessa
Asian Highway Network providing Euro-Asian
Highway Linkages

• M. B. Regmi
• Transport and Tourism Division
• UNESCAP

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Presentation Outline

• Issues and challenges in developing international
  highway linkages
• Asian Highway Network
• Status of international roads (AH) in Central
  Asia and Caucasus
• Investment and priorities for the development of
  the Asian Highway
• Conclusions

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Development of the International Highway
Linkages Issues and Challenges

• Standards and condition of infrastructure
• Maintenance and upgrading of infrastructure
• Financing development and maintenance of highway
  infrastructure
• Facilitation of border crossings
• Coordination among countries and agencies

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Asian Highway

• Goal To promote regional cooperation/trade
• Criteria for identification of routes
• Capital to capital links
• Industrial and agricultural centres
• Sea, river and air ports
• Container terminals depots
• Tourism attractions
• Maximize use of existing infrastructure
• Coordinated plan for development

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Formulation of the Asian Highway
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(No Transcript)
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The Intergovernmental Agreement

• 27 member States signed the Agreement
• 26 signed at Shanghai in April 2004 and Malaysia
  signed at New York
• 3 definitive signatures and 3 ratifications
• Contracting Parties
• Adopt AH network
• Negotiating procedures
• Conform to AH design standards
• Display AH signs
• Working Group on the Asian Highway
• Provides negotiating forum

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Conformity to the Asian Highway Standard
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Status of the Asian Highway
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AH providing Euro Asia Highway Linkages
Moscow
Tashkent
Urumqi
Istanbul
Baku
Kashi
Tehran
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Euro-Asian Highway Linkages
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Statusof Roads
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Status of Asian Highway in CA and Caucasus
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Condition of Highway
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Traffic
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Development and Upgrading of the Asian Highway
The Intergovernmental Agreement

• Upgrading of the Network below Class III to
  minimum Class III (2 lanes, Paved)
• Rehabilitation, upgrading of AH sections to
  Class II or above standards
• Maintenance of Asian Highway routes
• Policy initiatives for sustainable maintenance

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Asian Highway Investment needs and Priorities

• Review current status of the Asian Highway
  network
• Assessment of investment requirements for
  construction, upgrading and maintenance
• Intermodal connections
• Identify AH national and subregional priorities
• Showcase identified priority projects
• Subregional Expert Group Meetings

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Prioritization process

• Part of Regional/Subregional Network/National
  Priority
• Provide inter-country links/links to land locked
  country
• Does not meet Class III
• Sections in poor condition
• Sections nearing traffic capacity
• Sections with high potential/socio-economic
  benefits
• Country input

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Improvement and facilitation of transport across
border

• International Transport Conventions
• ESCAP resolution 48/11seven transport
  facilitation conventions
• Road Traffic, Road Signs and Signals
• TIR Conventions, Temporary Importation of
  Commercial Vehicles, Customs Convention on
  Containers
• Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods,
  International Carriage of Goods by Road
• Transport Facilitation Agreements
• Facilitation of land transport in the Greater
  Mekong Subregion (with ADB)
• Intergovernmental Agreement on International Road
  Transport with Shanghai Cooperation Organization

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Forthcoming UNESCAP Transport Activities

• Subcommittee on Transport Infrastructure and
  Facilitation and Tourism, 24-25 November 2004,
  Bangkok, Thailand
• SPECA Project Working Group Meeting on Transport
  and Border Crossing, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 9-10
  December 2004
• Expert Group Meeting on Identifying Investment
  needs and Priorities for the development of Asian
  Highway Network, January 2005, Tehran, Islamic
  Republic of Iran

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Conclusions

• Prioritization of investment for road
  infrastructure development, upgrading and
  maintenance
• Road Transport Facilitation Agreements/Arrangement
  s SCO
• The Intergovernmental Agreement on AH
• entry into force, and be catalyst for
  coordinated development of regional highways
• Working Group on the Asian Highway provides
  forum for regular contacts negotiations, sharing
  and exchange of experiences information

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For more information on UNESCAP transport
activities http//www.unescap.org/ttdw/index.asp
Email regmi.unescap_at_un.org