Asia europe transport problems

Recent political and economic victimizations at the world-wide and pieceal levels have resulted in a more conducive ontogeny environment in the Asiatic and peaceful region and the opening-up of opportunities for externalistic portion expose and tourism victimization for the development countries of the region, including those which be in push down. Nevertheless, the lose of unhindered plan of attack to the sea adds transfer cost and time to worldwide pot transactions. In addition, in undercoat countries face greater extend risks and hazards than countries which have direct admission to nternational sea routes.The United Nations has apportioned the specific concerns of in primer coat countries in a issue of documents. Among those which ar directly related to witch are the pursuance General Assembly resolution 50/97 of 20 celestial latitude 1995 on specific actions related to the elementicular get hold ofs and problems of upcountry developing countries Global exemplar for infiltrate rapture cooperation mingled with in sphere and transit developing countries and the donor community (TD/B/LDC/AC. /6) Problem of physical root development of the landlocked countries, ncluding economies in transition (E/ESCAP/SREC(7)/3) and Progress report on measures designed to repair the transit deification environment in ab personal line of credital Asia (A/ 51/288). With Just-in-time deli actu eithery becoming almost a prerequisite for effectual supranational dish out, specially in an increasingly competitive market environment, commensurate attention mustiness be given to resolving problems in deportation areas which are crucial for the efficient development of the external trade of landlocked countries.The inauguration in whitethorn 1996 of a youthful kvetch telephone circuit linking the Islamic rural area of Iran nd Turkmenistan, thus completing a new silk data track route from China to europium via the landlocked countr ies of Central Asia the precedency attention of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the development of the necessary physical stand, as intumesce as two-sided and multilateral correspondences for international commemorate drive revealicularly to and from Central Asia the establishment in May 1996 of a forum for the comprehensive development of regions on the second Europe-Asia continental bridge which is of importance to Mongolia and the landlocked countries of Central Asia the initiative of he Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the development of a rail link from capital of Singapore through and through with(predicate) Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam or the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and on to Kunming, China and the belatedly completed study of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on impartation and transit needs, including those of Nepal and Bhutan, are vivid illustrations of the commitment of the member countries of ESCAP to the development of a land beam interlocking in Asia in The present tense flavour highlights some of the issues and problems of physical and soft nfrastructure in the main modes of witch (with emphasis on land go, inland water supplyways and connections to seaports) which serve the landlocked countries in the region, namely Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. l.MAJOR ISSUES AND PROBLEMS IN THE TRANSPORT SECTOR To reform the efficacy and competitiveness of international trade and tourism in the landlocked countries of the region, the interest issues relating to major modes of transport need to be addressed (a) plectron of alternative transit routes b) reduction of transit costs and time along the transport routes and (c) cooperation among the organizations concerned. A. Choice of alternative transit routes Although many of the landlocked countries in the r egion have several say-so routes to seaports, most of them are to a great extent dependent on one main transit route because of modified resources and, in some cases, the limited options open to them in the past as a result of the political situation at that time.This render these countries unsafe to disruption of transit operate owing to national disasters, technical and in operation(p) breakdowns, labour disputes and conflicts. Moreover, in view of regionalization and globalization of economic development, different approach shot routes to different seaports may be required for efficient transport of goods to trade partners located in different part of the globe. Therefore, it is eventful for any landlocked arena to have a choice of transit land transport routes (and inland waterways if applicable) to the main seaports in Asia, as well as a choice of air transport routes and connections to major subregional, regional and global destinations. In addition, in view of the d evelopment of trade within Asia, as well as amidstAsia and Europe, on that point is an increasing demand for reliable and efficient intra-Asia and Asia-Europe land bridges with connections to landlocked countries in the region. The landlocked countries need to be part of an integrated approach to the development of an intra-Asia and Asia-Europe land transport net of international importance. 1. Formalization of the international land transport profit in Asia The billing at its ordinal session, held in Beijing in April 1992, endorsed comprising the Asian avenue the Trans-Asian rail line and facilitation of land ransport, as a priority for leg II (1992-1996) of the witch and Communications Decade for Asia and the Pacific.The objective of the project is to assist in creating a land transport meshwork in Asia to facilitate international trade and tourism. The route selection criteria include capital-to-capital links and connections to main industrial and agricultural centres, and connections to major seaports and river ports, as well as to major container terminals and depots. The network should also provide interregional land transport linkages, particularly with the region of the economic management for Europe. The project enjoys delay from 25 ESCAP members, including all the landlocked countries unless Armenia, Azerbaijan and Bhutan which have yet to Join the project. Armenia and Azerbaijan, however, are participating in activities that are related to ALTID.With the successful implementation of phase I (1994-1995) of the ALTID project, considerable turn over has been achieved in the formulation of the international land transport network in Asia linking landlocked countries. The Asian pathwayway network (see figure l) has been revised in the southern corridor connecting the Islamic Republic of Iran South Asia southeastward Asia (which includes he landlocked countries of Afghanistan, Nepal and the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic), and a new network formulated in the corridor South-East Asia China Mongolia. A study on the development of main road networks in the landlocked Asian republics (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) to identify the potential Asian Highway routes in those countries was completed in 1996.The Trans-Asian Railway network includes the following land bridges between Asia and Europe Europe-Russian Federation and/or China-Korean peninsula Europe-Islamic Republic of Iran-Central Asia-China (New Silk Railway) Europe-Islamic Republic of Iran-South Asia-South-East Asia. With the completion during phase I ofa feasibility study on connecting the rail networks of China, Kazakstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation and the Korean peninsula, and a project on the Trans-Asian Railway in the Indo-China and ASEAN subregions, the network has been formulated in the northern corridor of the Asia-Europe routes (see fgure II) which includes the landlocked countries of K azakstan and Mongolia, and in the Indo-China and ASEAN subregions (see figure Ill), the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic.A potential Trans- Asian Railway network in the southern corridor of the Asia-Europe routes (of importance to Afghanistan and Nepal) was also identified (see fgure V) through a related preliminary study. The Commission at its fifty-second session reiterated its strong support for the ALTID project and emphasized the importance of its completion and of improving the operational efficiency of both the Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway networks, including the Asia-Europe links, at the earliest execu card date. The Commission adopted resolution 52/9 of 24 April 1996 on Intra-Asia and Asia-Europe land bridges. rogramme of the New Delhi put to death Plan on Infrastructure emergence in Asia and the Pacific.It also approved the plan of action for the implementation of phase II (1996-1997) of the ALTID project, which includes a detailed study on the southern corridor of the Trans-Asian Railway, and it unyielding that a study on the development of the Railway in the corridor connecting South-East and North-East Asia (including the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and Mongolia) should be undertaken and that uniform studies on the development of the Asian Highway and the Trans-Asian Railway in the corridor connecting northern Europe with the Russian Federation to the landlocked countries of Central Asia and the Islamic Republic of Iran should be included in the projected phase Ill (1998-1999) of the project. 13. When completed and in full operational for the whole of Asia, the land transport network could provide landlocked countries in the region with a choice of alternative land transport routes to major seaports in Asia, and land transport and land-cum-sea links to any separate country in Asia and Europe.However, to realize such a potential, the landlocked countries must have unhindered access to the network. . Unhindered access to the inter national land transport network in Asia The construction of the regional land transport network and all related infrastructure is a necessary moreover not a sufficient condition for reliable and efficient international transport. A effectual framework is also required to provide the rump for unhindered access to the routes for efficient international trade and tourism. A co-ordinated plan for the development of international land transport routes and services base on agreed performance parameters and standards is also essential.This has been vividly demonstrated by the hold of Europe, where the ollowing four major all-European transport agreements have been adopted (a) The European Agreement on main International Traffic Arteries (AGR Agreement) of 1975, which defines the major European roads and establishes uniform technical characteristics (b) The European Agreement on Main International Railway Lines (AGC Agreement) of 1985, which determines the major lines and infrastruct ure parameters of the European railway network (c) The European Agreement on Important International Combined Transport Lines and Related Installations (AGTC Agreement) of 1991, which is the first European ultilateral treaty governing international unite road/rail container and piggyback transport (d)International infrastructure agreement binding European inland waterways Oanuary 1996). recommended that a legal framework should be unquestionable for Asia in the form of ESCAP agreements on the Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway, taking into friendship the related experience of the European Union. With such ESCAP agreements in place, all the countries in Asia, including the landlocked countries, would enjoy free access to road and rail transport routes of international importance. 3. Inland waterways of international importance to some of the landlocked countries in Asia Inland water transport can play an important bureau for the regional or international trade of some landlock ed countries.A number of rivers in these countries can potentially provide the cheapest means of communication with neighbouring countries, or even through them to other countries in the world. For instance, a number of tributaries of the Brahmaputra River lessen out of Bhutan through India to Bangladesh the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic is echoed or bisected by the Mekong River which flows through China, Myanmar, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam Mongolia gives rise to the Yenisey, the Angara and the Amur-Heilongjiang rivers which link the country to China and the Russian Federation and Nepal has three of the four largest tributaries of the Ganges River sleek from India to Bangladesh.The improvement and development of inland water transport infrastructure and services would benefit all of these countries in various ways, including cost savings, environmental trade protection and energy savings. In addition, transit by water is more easily a ccepted by operators of seaports located at river mouths and it is less prone o losses, pilferage and breakage than transit by road and rail. At the present time, however, the rivers are not fully utilized for navigation in most landlocked countries. Most of the rivers are still in a natural state without appropriate improvement and marking. Water levels in the rivers are not constantly regular or sufficient and the gradient is often very steep. In some river sections, the waterways are full of rapids and shoals which endanger vessel navigation or even interrupt it entirely.Some rivers are blocked with siltation, cables, pipelines, bridges, dams and other structures along or crossing them. Few help to navigation are nstalled to mark the passable channels in the rivers. All these factors limit the free use of the rivers for transport. However, the potential of inland water transport for international trade should be evaluated. In order to promote the use of rivers for transport wh ich would serve the needs of landlocked countries, ESCAP is implementing several projects under the regional action broadcast of the New Delhi Action Plan on Infrastructure information, which was launched by the Ministerial concourse on Infrastructure in October 1996.One of the projects is on the harmonisation of requirements relating to international mportance of common or well harmonized rules, and provide guidance with escort to navigation rules, aids to navigation, the carriage of dangerous goods, facilitation measures and waterway classifications for internationally navigable rivers. Another important project is on the development of inland water transport infrastructure and services. This project includes a regional strategic study for the development of inland water transport in the ESCAP region. An intensive investigation willing be carried out to identify the problems faced by the inland water transport sector. The situation ill be compared with successful experiences i n other parts of the world.This study should provide a square away picture of the advantages and disadvantages of inland water transport in specific situations, identify opportunities for development and suggest regional actions and national policy options to expand the use of rivers for navigation in the ESCAP region. smart group and policy-level meetings will be held to discuss the findings and suggestions of the study. Necessary follow-up actions will be taken at both the regional and national levels. With regard to some landlocked Asian republics, the same opportunity may know or transit transport through inland waterways. Specific studies need to be carried out to identify the potential for the expanded use of inland waterways. 4. Air transport It goes without saying that reliable and efficient air transport is crucial for the economic and social progress of landlocked countries.While the emphasis in this paper is on related aspects of land transport, inland waterways and ma ritime linkages and transport, the following activities of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have been included in the regional action programme 1997-2001) of the New Delhi Action Plan on Infrastructure Development in Asia and the Pacific and endorsed by the Ministerial Conference on Infrastructure programme of transition to the new civil aura communications, navigation and surveillance and air traffic management system programme for economic reform in civil aviation in Asia and the Pacific programme for the protection of the environment in the vicinity of airports improvement and harmonization of flight safety standards expansion of the UNDP-promoted ICAO TRAINAIR programme and poverty alleviation through rural airfield development in least developed countries. These projects address major problem areas in air transport in the Asian and Pacific region, including in the landlocked countries. B.Reduction of transit time and costs along the transport routes of Whil e the formulation of an international land transport network in Asia is in progress through the implementation of the ALTID project, there are already a provide the landlocked countries with access to seaports. These are reflected in table 1. 1. Reduction of transit time and costs at border crossings and ports Even when all necessary infrastructure is in place, the delay of vehicles at border rossings can entail tremendous losses of resources and time. A quasi(prenominal) problem occurs when the waiting time is long for ships to be loaded and discharge in seaports which serve landlocked countries. When international inland waterways are easy for use, delays of cargo at cross-border points have similar economic effects. a) Facilitation of land transport at border-crossings (i)Commission resolution 48/11 on road and rail transport modes in relation to facilitation measures Recognizing that harmonized transport facilitation measures are a prerequisite for efficient international tra de and transport along road and rail routes of nternational importance, the Page 1 1 Commission at its forty-eighth session adopted resolution 48/11 of 23 April 1992 on road and rail transport modes in relation to facilitation measures. By that resolution, it recommended that the countries in the region, if they had not already done so, consider the possibility of acceding to seven international hosts. The status of the accession of the landlocked and neighbouring countries in Asia to the international conventions is shown in table 2.It is clear that in order to facilitate international and bilateral trade and tourism the constructive cooperation of the ountries is required to create a minimum legal basis for land transport cross-border traffic. In this respect ESCAP adopted a subregional approach to providing assistance to countries. A special seminar for the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) subregion (with the confederacy of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) on the implications and benefits of accession to the conventions was held in Tehran in November 1994. A similar seminar for the North-East Asian countries (including the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and Mongolia) was conducted in May 1996 in Bangkok.Another seminar for countries of the Greater Mekong subregion (including the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic) was organized Jointly by ESCAP and the Asian Development Bank at It is very encouraging to note that Uzbekistan has acceded to six conventions, and Kazakstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have each acceded to four. However, Afghanistan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan are each party to exactly two Azerbaijan, to one and Bhutan, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Mongolia and Nepal to none at all. A similar situation of accession to few or no convention occurs in the neighbouring ountries of Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand and Viet Nam. Such a situation calls fo r the urgent implementation of Commission resolution 48/11 by all landlocked countries and their neighbouring countries. theodolite facilitation trip transport plays a particularly important role in the development of landlocked countries.Two international conventions, namely the Convention and Statute on Freedom of Transit, Barcelona, 20 April 1921 (popularly referred to as the Barcelona Transit Convention), and the Convention on Transit Trade of Landlocked States, New York, 8 July 1965 (New York Transit Convention) assist in facilitating the transit transport of landlocked countries. However, only a few of the Asian landlocked countries and their neighbouring countries are contracting parties of these conventions, as indicated in table 3. There is clearly great potential to improve transit transport in the region. It is recommended that the landlocked countries and the neighbouring countries should accede, if they have not already done so, to the Barcelona and New York transit conventions as soon as possible.The development of a subregional multilateral transit treaty/agreement also ppears to be a promising approach to transit facilitation. Preparation of such a draft transit treaty for the ECO region, for example, could be carried out as part of the project on international transport development in the ECO region, which is beingness proposed Jointly by ESCAP, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and ECO for possible funding by the Islamic Development Bank. (iii) Multilateral and bilateral agreements on land transport facilitation Multilateral and bilateral agreements which govern land transport at border crossings are of great importance to the landlocked countries in Asia.Given the role f the agreements in promoting international traffic, a database coating mainland Asia is being established at ESCAP as part of the ALTID project. As indicated above, there are several main rivers in Asia which may be apply by landlocked countries for international transport. To facilitate navigation and river basin development activities, a draft agreement on commercial navigation on the Lancang Jiang Mekong River (upper reaches of the Mekong River) between the Governments of China, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Thailand has been drawn up and it is expected that this agreement will be signed in the near uture.The Agreement on Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin was signed on 5 April 1995 between the countries of the Lower Mekong River basin (Cambodia, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Thailand and Viet Nam). The Mekong River Commission is the institutional framework through which the Agreement will be implemented. The bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and India, which is signed on a biennial basis, could also be of virtual(a) interest to landlocked countries. Similar arrangements which take into account the related experience in other regions could e of great practi cal value in facilitating international inland water transport in Asia, including in landlocked countries. c) Facilitation of maritime traffic In addition to facilitation for land transport and transport on inland waterways, facilitation of maritime traffic plays an important role in improving the efficiency of the international land-cum-sea transport systems which serve the landlocked In an era of large ships with efficient cargo operations resulting in very short stays in port, the delays caused by documentary red tape result in extra costs and time. To improve the situation, countries in the region having seaports (including those serving landlocked countries) are adopting the Convention on Facilitation of International marine Traffic, 1965 (FAL Convention) as amended. The objective of the FAL Convention is to simplify the procedures for the inward clearance of ships, cargoes, passengers and clustering on arrival in a port.This can be achieved by the utilization of six standard declaration forms and the bankers acceptance of common standards for touch on documentation. However, among the ESCAP members and associate members, only Australia, China, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Fiji, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the marshal Islands, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, United States of America and Vanuatu are party (as of January 1997) to the FAL Convention. It is clear that there is potential to improve the efficiency of the land- cum-sea routes serving landlocked countries if all the coastal countries concerned accede to the FAL Convention.To assist the countries in the process of acceding to the Convention, ESCAP, in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization, ommenced in 1993 a four-year programme of country-level workshops and subregional seminars to promote the adoption of the FAL Convention and the implementation of its provisions. (d) Corridor studies To assist member countries in Asia, including landlo cked countries, in the facilitation of cross-border traffic, ESCAP undertakes corridor studies to identify non- physical arrests to the flow of goods which cause delays and add unnecessary costs to the transport process. One such study, for example, was completed in 1994 in the corridor Singapore Malaysia Thailand the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic Viet Nam. The study was extended in 1995 to plough Cambodia and in 1996 to include Myanmar.The study revealed the following impediments restrictions on the achievement of vehicles and drivers crossways borders restrictions on the movement of cargo between the port and inland origin/destination without customs inspection in the port restrictions on the movement of third country or transit cargo limitations on the telling use of multimodal transport and failure to make use of available technology and information to plan port and cargo-handling operations. The reports lso provided recommendations for dealing with these impediments . A study carried out by ADB on regional technical assistance to the Greater Mekong subregion for moderation of non-physical barriers to cross-border movement of goods and people (completed in October 1996) should also be mentioned in this context.Similar studies are to be carried out as recommended by the Ministerial Conference on Infrastructure along the major intra-Asia and Asia-Europe land bridges, with the next ESCAP study plan for the corridor Port of Bandar Abbas (Islamic Republic of Iran) landlocked countries of Central Asia China. One other impediment frequently found in the landlocked countries in Asia is a lack of a proper coordinating mechanism at the national level among the ministries and agencies involved in cross-border procedures and formalities. 2. Improvement of transport logistics Multimodal transport, freight forwarding and electronic data interchange (ED) play an increasingly important role in the development of international trade. Just- in-time delivery, which is becoming a prerequisite for competitive international trade, increases the need for a highly efficient integrated system of despatch, transport and