From 21-23 May 2025, representatives from our EaP RSO Technical Secretariat joined country counterparts from across the region at the International Transport Forum’s (ITF) Annual Summit in Leipzig, Germany. This year the Summit was held under the Presidency of Chile, with Azerbaijan and Czechia as first and second Vice Presidents, respectively.
The ITF Annual Summit is the world’s largest gathering of transport ministers and the premier global transport policy event. The theme of this year’s summit was Transport Resilience to Global Shocks. It was an opportunity for participants to reflect and share perspectives on how to ensure the continuity of transport systems amidst disruptions such as natural disasters, pandemics, cyber-attacks, and geopolitical crises.
During the Summit, in a historic first, ITF Ministers adopted recommendations on a comprehensive new road safety policy which links directly to data and evidence-based strategies. Importantly, it agrees to investments in capacity to collect, analyse and use data to inform policy interventions: a critical role played by road safety observatories.
On this important topic, Emma MacLennan, Deputy Head of the EaP RSO Technical Secretariat, was invited to speak at the session on ‘Harnessing Data and Statistics for Resilient Transport Policies’. This presented an significant platform to discuss the importance of enriching the data we collect – especially uncovering “invisible data” that reveals unmet mobility needs and trends, particularly for active and accessible transport – as well as raising awareness about road safety in our region.
Characterising road crashes as a “chronic disaster”, Emma also called for stronger collaboration and data sharing across government sectors and with the private sector, including with the automobile industry, to ensure that data flows freely and informs smarter, safer policies.
Ministerial delegations from each EaP member country attended the Summit. Over the three days, we had good discussions with most of the country representatives including, Armenia’s Deputy Minister for Territorial Administration and Infrastructure on vehicle safety, and the Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine on the development of a new National Road Safety Strategy.
Overall, it was important meeting and a good opportunity to further introduce our work to both national decision makers and international stakeholders. Congratulations to Chile for delivering such a fun and impactful Summit, but we especially look forward to next year when it will be the turn of Azerbaijan – marking the first time an Eastern Partnership country will take on this important role.
