On 11 February, UIC Director General Francois Davenne addressed the UNECE 87th session of the Inland Transport Committee in Geneva. He emphasised the critical role of shifting to rail transport in achieving decarbonisation goals, alongside significant efforts to enhance energy efficiency across all transport modes.
Since its establishment in 1947, the UNECE Inland Transport Committee has provided an intergovernmental platform for discussing and fostering economic cooperation in inland transport
In his speech, François Davenne highlighted the urgent need to reduce transport emissions, noting that the sector currently accounts for nearly one-third of global CO2 emissions. Reflecting on the promising potential of railways in this transition, Davenne stressed that doubling the modal share of railways in the transport system could cut the sector’s emissions by almost 7%.
He also highlighted how policy and climate finance can help reverse the current trend in transport emissions and called for more ambitious targets in the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), advocating for a stronger focus on AVOID and SHIFT measures. He urged for specific, actionable targets for a modal shift and the expansion of rail infrastructure to be set, integrated with active mobility and public transport systems.
On climate finance, he highlighted the substantial funding required to develop railways, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), as a means to decouple transport emissions from economic development. Drawing from UIC’s recent “Bridging the Rail Finance Gap” report, Davenne noted that measures such as standardising railways, implementing policies to help de-risk infrastructure and rolling stock investment, and operationalising carbon credit markets for the railway sector can set LMICs on the right track. He also emphasised that the rail sector should benefit from financing mechanisms like the United Nations’ Loss and Damage Fund to help manage the increasingly frequent impact of extreme weather events.
