Transportation

The APEC Transportation Working Group (TPTWG) seeks to advance APEC’s overarching agenda of improving connectivity and deepening regional economic integration by developing policies that promote the safe, secure, efficient, and sustainable and legitimate movement of people and goods throughout the region. Guided by the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, Aotearoa Plan of Action, APEC Connectivity Blueprint, APEC 2022 Leaders’ Declaration, and Bangkok Goals, the TPTWG currently focuses on three strategic areas:

Strategic Focus 1: Trade and Investment and Road to a Covid Recovery

• The TPTWG facilitates the implementation of the APEC Connectivity Blueprint to build a seamlessly and comprehensively connected and integrated Asia-Pacific. Keeping essential transport services operating and maintaining the movement of essential goods has demonstrated transport’s key role in the response to Covid-19.
• The TPTWG focuses on transport policies targeted towards a sustainable recovery that will reduce the likelihood of future economic shocks, increase the region’s resilience to the impacts of climate change, ensure that the highest levels of safety and security are maintained, and accelerate the transition to a low-emissions economy.

Strategic Focus 2: Inclusive and Sustainable Transport

• APEC and the TPTWG are currently implementing the La Serena Roadmap for Women and Inclusive Growth by placing women and girls at the center of economic recovery efforts. This work is particularly important as emerging evidence suggests that women face higher risks of job and income loss as a result of the economic downturns, such as the pandemic.
• Under the framework of the Bangkok Goals on the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy, the TPTWG works to address the transportation sector’s impact on climate. This requires leadership by TPTWG members, consultation and close collaboration with industry, and consideration of a wide range of policy levers across all modes of transport.
• The TPTWG discusses low emission transport policy settings and economic incentives to support global efforts to comprehensively address environmental challenges, including climate change and air pollution to lead to more sustainable transport practices.
• A focus of the TPTWG is on market-based policy measures to tackle our most serious environmental challenges, in particular climate change.
• The TPTWG seeks to deliver on existing APEC Leaders’ commitments on energy and climate change issues by endeavoring to apply these targets to the transport sector through the uptake of low emission technologies.  This includes collaboration with the APEC Energy Working Group (EWG) to deliver a plan towards the target of reducing APEC’s aggregate energy intensity by 45 percent, from 2005 levels, by 2035.

Strategic Focus 3: Embracing Technology and Innovation

• The TPTWG continues to include a focus on innovation and technology to encourage the rapid uptake of new technology and new business models to deliver on transport outcomes. This involves building an understanding of any barriers to innovation and collaborating on best practice on how to fill any gaps. It also means improving human capacity and skills development in transportation.
• To this end, the TPTWG works closely with stakeholders across the region, including industry, academia, international organizations, and other APEC groups in a collaborative approach to challenges facing the energy and transport sectors.

The TPTWG is composed of four expert groups and two affiliated  networks.

Expert Groups

The Maritime Expert Group (MEG) aims to promote an efficient, safe, secure and competitive operating environment for maritime transport, to increase ports’ capacity by improving the efficiency of ports and related activities in the APEC region to support member economies in developing and implementing measures to strengthen maritime security in the APEC region, and to achieve environmentally friendly development and operation.

The Aviation Expert Group’s (AEG) scope comprises issues directly linked to air services and aviation security and safety in the APEC region. AEG work programs relate to cooperation for aviation safety, security, and facilitation in line with standards and recommended practices of the convention on international civil aviation.

Land Expert Group (LEG) is a forum for member economies to work cooperatively in developing measures to promote efficient, safe, secure, integrated, competitive and environmentally sustainable land transportation systems in the APEC region. In response to TPTWG priorities, LEG also seeks to strengthen APEC member economies’ cooperation on human resources development and personnel training.

Intermodal and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Experts Group (IIEG) is a forum for member economies to promote the implementation of seamless, efficient, sustainable and integrated intermodal transportation systems to facilitate trade in the Asia-Pacific region.

Affiliated Networks

The APEC Port Service Network (APSN) aims to achieve APEC’s overall goals through economic cooperation, capacity building, and exchange of information and persons among ports, port-associated industries, and services.

The APEC Seafarers’ Excellence Network (APEC SEN) aims to seamlessly fulfil the demands of the current and emerging needs of the shipping industry and seafarers of the APEC region.

                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                       Last page update: September 2023

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