Twenty-three nations sign accord on Asian Highway network

(Reissued as received.)

SHANGHAI, 26 April (ESCAP) -- Exceeding early estimates, 23 Asian countries signed an international agreement for completing a transcontinental network of standardized roadways, at a Shanghai meeting of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

“From Tokyo to Tehran, from Singapore to Samarkand, and from points beyond to those in between, the network now spans 32 countries and encompasses more than 140,000 kilometres”, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message delivered to the signing ceremony at the ESCAP economic summit in Shanghai.

The completed highway will further facilitate border-crossing for people, vehicles and goods, and also impart crucial benefits to landlocked countries, as provided for in a United Nations conference last August in Alamaty, Kazakhstan, the Secretary-General noted.  His message was delivered by ESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su to ministerial-level Asian leaders at today’s signing ceremony.

Bangkok-based ESCAP has been negotiating routes and road specifications for the network since 1992.  The text of an agreement for upgrading sub-standard stretches and making provisions for new routes was agreed by 32 participating countries in November of 2003.  At that time, United Nations officials estimated that 10-15 nations would have completed the necessary approval processes to be ready to sign at the ESCAP annual meeting in April 2004.  Last week, up to 20 signings were projected.

The early show of support for the project “clearly demonstrates the desire and capacity of Asian countries to work together, now and for the future, to achieve common goals”, said ESCAP Executive Secretary Kim.

For more information, contact Tim Wall of the Development Section of the UN Department of Public Information, e-mail: wallt@un.org; or Margaret Hanley of the Bangkok UN Information Service, e-mail: hanley@un.org.

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