SD Learning Event: Assessing Sustainable Transport in the Context of Green Economy

This learning event focuses on the assessment of sustainable transport in the context of the Green Economy. The transport sector is of particular relevance to the green economy theme of Rio+20 because of its potential for wide-ranging environmental, economic and social development benefits. Yet, little awareness and experience exists on how progress towards sustainable transport can be measured, monitored and accelerated, through the use of indicators.

The impact of this learning event will be an increased awareness among the participants in this topic as well as a contribution to the formulation and implementation of a monitoring strategy for sustainable transport in the context of the green economy as called for in the Zero Draft Outcome Document of the Rio+20 Conference.

Organizing Partners

• The Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport
• Asian Development Bank
• EMBARQ, WRI’s Center on Sustainable Transport
• The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
• The Dutch Cycling Embassy
• United Nations Human Settlements Program

Objectives

1. Strengthen the understanding of participants on the contribution of sustainable transport to the Green Economy;
2. Equip participants with better appreciation of indicators that can be used to measure progress in implementation of sustainable transport at the national and local (city) level;
3. Demonstrate the impact of sustainable transport on traditional economic evaluation methodologies of transport policies, programs and projects.
4. Enhance understanding of participants on required institutional strengthening to facilitate and catalyse the implementation of sustainable transport in developing countries.

Programme

1. “Introduction to Sustainable Transport and the Green Economy”, Holger Dalkmann, Director EMBARQ World Resources Institute on Sustainable Transport.

2. “Definition, Indicators and Targets of Sustainable Transport in the Context of the Green Economy”, Michael Replogle, Global Policy Director and Founder of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP).

3. “Measuring the Impact of Cycling – Case Study of Rio de Janeiro”, Roelof Wittink, director of the Dutch Cycling Embassy (DCE)

4. “Economic Analysis of Sustainable Transport Projects – Case Study of the Asian Development Bank”, Tyrrell Duncan of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

5. “Institutional Structures in Support of Sustainable Urban Transport”, Andre Dzikus of UN-Habitat.

Method

The main target group of this learning event consists of policy makers on sustainable transport at national and local level in developing countries, and staff of donor agencies and NGOs supporting the formulation and implementation of sustainable transport policies, programs and projects.

The learning event will be facilitated by Cornie Huizenga, convener of the Partnership on Sustainable Transport (SloCaT). There will be a mix of presentations and facilitated discussion among the participants in this learning event. This discussion will be focused on the objectives of this learning event. The participants will also be able to benefit from documentation on the dedicated Rio+20 page on the website of the SLoCaT partnership which will contain supportive documents. The SLoCaT partnership is also in the process of developing a number of sustainable transport related green economy policies, practices and initiatives for the UNCSD website (http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/gedatabase.html).