Secretary-General Appoints 12 Members of Government, Civil Society, Private

 

Sector to High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the membership of a High-level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport to provide recommendations on sustainable transport actionable at global, national, local and sector levels.

The Advisory Group, established for a period of three years, will work with Governments, transport providers (aviation, marine, ferry, rail, road, and urban public transport), businesses, financial institutions, civil society and other stakeholders, to promote sustainable transport systems and their integration into development strategies and policies, including in climate action.

This initiative represents one more step by the Secretary-General in advancing climate action and in implementing his Five-Year Action Agenda in which the Secretary-General pledged to forge consensus around a post-2015 sustainable development agenda and implement it.  As an integral part of this course of action, the Secretary-General has beenmobilizing the United Nations system to support global, regional and national strategies to address the building blocks of sustainable development, including sustainable transport.  The establishment of the Advisory Group is also a concrete response to the call by stakeholders across a broad array of fields for a more strategic approach to transport- and infrastructure-related issues.

The Secretary-General has appointed Olof Persson, Chief Executive Officer of the Volvo Group and Carolina Tohá, Mayor of Santiago, Chile, as Co-Chairs of the Advisory Group.  The full list of Panel members is available below.

“I look forward to working together with you to help fight poverty and climate change and contribute to future sustainable development goals by advancing sustainable transport across the world,” said the Secretary-General in his letter to the members of the Advisory Group.

The aim of the Advisory Group is to promote accelerated implementation of sustainable transport, aligned closely with the objectives of inclusive and equitable growth, social development, protection of the global environment and ecosystems, and addressing climate change.

To accomplish this, the Advisory Group will provide a global message and recommendations on sustainable transport, including on innovative policy and multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable transport; launch a “Global Transport Outlook Report” by 2015 to provide analytical support for these recommendations; and help mobilize action and initiatives in support of sustainable transport among key actors, including Member States, development finance institutions, bilateral development partners, transport providers, urban authorities and land-use planners.  The Advisory Group will also seek to promote the integration of sustainable transport in relevant intergovernmental processes, including making recommendations on the formulation and implementation of the post-2015 development agenda.

The Group will hold its first meeting in the fall of this year and is expected to submit a progress report to the Secretary-General in the second half of 2015.  In its work streams, the Group will be expected to address new development challenges in climate change, transport, infrastructure, and poverty eradication, while also drawing on intergovernmental guidance from the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, contributions of the United Nations system and inputs from major groups and other stakeholders.

Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport

Olof Persson ( Sweden), Chief Executive Officer of the Volvo Group, Co-Chair

Olof Persson was appointed President of AB Volvo and Chief Executive Officer of the Volvo Group as of 1 September 2011 and became a member of the Volvo Board from the same date.  He held a number of executive positions at Adtranz, Daimler-Chrysler and Bombardier Transportation.  In 2006, he joined the Volvo Group as President and CEO of Volvo Aero Corporation.  He took up the position of President and CEO at Volvo Construction Equipment in November 2008.

Carolina Tohá ( Chile), Mayor of Santiago, Chile, Co-Chair

Carolina Tohá was elected Mayor of Santiago in October 2012.  She was elected Deputy for the Congressional District of Santiago in December of 2001, and became a member of the Standing Committees of Economy, Education, Culture, Sports and Recreation; Finance, Government of the Interior, as well as of the Special Youth Committee.  Re-elected Deputy in 2005, Ms. Tohá served on several committees, including the Standing Committee of Education and the Special Inequality and Poverty Committee.  In 2009, President Michelle Bachelet nominated her Minister Secretary-General of Government.

Frank Appel ( Germany)

Frank Appel serves as Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Post DHL.  Prior to joining Deutsche Post DHL, he began working with McKinsey & Co as a consultant in 1993, becoming a partner in 1999.  He joined the Group in 2000 as Managing Director of Corporate Development and became a member of the Board of Management in 2002, holding various positions before being appointed as CEO in 2008.

Milica Bajic-Brkovic ( Serbia)

Milica Bajic-Brkovic is currently President of the International Society of City and Regional Planners.  She has dedicated her professional life to the built environment and has extensive professional experience as a university educator, researcher, university executive, editor, planning commissioner and planning practitioner.

Morten Engelstoft ( Denmark)

Morten H. Engelstoft was appointed in January 2014 CEO of Services & Other Shipping, consisting of the four businesses — Maersk Tankers, Maersk Supply Service, Svitzer and Damco.  At the same time, he was appointed CEO of Maersk Tankers.  Mr. Engelstoft has over 25 years of extensive experience in the shipping industry, holding various positions within the Maersk Group.  Prior to assuming his current position, he was Chief Operating Officer in Maersk Line.

Alain Flausch ( Belgium)

Alain Flausch was selected Secretary-General of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) in September 2011 by the UITP Executive Board.  He was previously Chairman of the Finance and Commerce subcommittee of the UITP Metro Committee (2001-2009); a member of the UITP Executive and Policy Boards (2004-2009); an Executive Member of the UITP International Metro Committee (2001-2009); a member of the Transport Management Committee; and Chairman of the Design and Culture Platform.

Maty Mint Hamady ( Mauritania)

Maty Mint Hamady began her career in 1991 as a manager in the finance department of the city of Nouakchott.  In 1999, she became an auditor of the Court of Auditors.  From 2007, she became a member of the Monetary Policy Council of the Central Bank of Mauritania.  From January to August 2009, she served as Deputy Director of SONIMEX.  She was appointed Minister for Public Services and Administration Modernization in March 2011.  She has been the mayor of Nouakchott since 2014.

Patrick Ho ( Hong Kong, China)

Ho Chi Ping Patrick is the Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General of China Energy Fund Committee, a non-governmental organization with special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.  Under his leadership, the China Energy Fund Committee conducts energy-related research, prepares periodical publications, and organizes international energy conferences and forums to address issues related to energy and sustainability.  He served as Secretary for Home Affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government from 2002 to 2007.

Victor Kiryanov ( Russian Federation)

Victor Kiryanov is Deputy Minister of Interior of the Russian Federation.  After serving in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, he joined the State Traffic Inspectorate and served first as Deputy Head, and then Head of the State Traffic Police Inspectorate.  In his current role as Deputy Minister, as well as Colonel General of Police, he is responsible for transport safety.  He also holds the post of the President of the Russian Automobile Federation.

Jean Pierre Loubinoux ( France)

Jean-Pierre Loubinoux was appointed Director-General of the International Union of Railways, the worldwide association representing the rail sector and encompassing 240 railways across all the continents.  His mandate was renewed in June 2010 and is set to run until December 2015.  He joined French railways SNCF in 1978, where he held various managerial positions.  He was appointed Chief Executive of SNCF Freight International (2001).  From 2001 to 2009 he served as Chairman and CEO of SNCF International and SNCF Director of International Development.

Tanya Müller García ( Mexico)

As Secretary of Environment of Mexico City, Tanya Müller García has played an essential role in the environmental public policy of Mexico City.  She has strengthened intermodal transportation and fostered bicycle mobility programmes in an effort to contribute to the sustainable development of Mexico City.  She is also founder and Vice-President of the World Green Infrastructure Network, a worldwide association that promotes green infrastructure around the world.

Len Roueche ( Canada)

Len Roueche is the Chief Executive Officer of Interferry, a shipping association representing the world-wide ferry industry.  Interferry has 239 member companies representing almost 600 individuals from 38 countries.  Prior to joining Interferry, Mr. Roueche was with BC Ferries for 25 years where he was responsible for strategic planning.

For further information, contact Nikhil Seth, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, tel.:  212 963 1811; e-mail:  seth@un.org.  For details about the post-2015 process, visit:  http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/.

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For information media • not an official record