The International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) have been working together for almost 75 years to improve trade and road transport.
UNECE is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
It includes 56 member states in Europe, North America and Asia, and was established to promote economic cooperation and interrogation among them.
Shortly after its establishment, UNECE made a series of agreements to support post-war aspirations for the free movement of people and goods, known as the ‘Geneva Road Freedoms’.
This led to the founding of the IRU in 1948 as the voice of the global road transport industry, to work with UNECE in formalising and implementing these agreements.
IRU has become the main advocate for the interests of the road transport industry in United Nations regulatory bodies. It represents the sector so that the voices of road transport operators are heard at the highest level.
Over the decades, IRU and UNECE have worked together to propose, draft and implement other important conventions, agreements and protocols that have made commercial road transport services safer, more efficient and greener.
In addition to the TIR system, UNECE and IRU collaborate in many areas to promote sustainable, safe, clean and competitive road transport to improve the mobility of goods and people.
As road transport continues to evolve, the long-standing partnership between both organisations is set to continue for decades to come.
“Over the coming months on our news pages, we will be exploring various ways that IRU and UNECE work together on safety and standards,” IRU said in a statement.
In other news, a survey showed unfilled commercial driver positions continue to increase at alarming rates.