Transportation ministerial conference to open in Busan
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High-ranking officials from the Asia-Pacific region will attend a conference on transportation to be held in Busan from next Monday through Saturday (Nov. 6-11).
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Ministerial Conference on Transportation 2006 will be held at BEXCO in the southeastern port city.
Participants in the six-day conference, hosted by the Ministry of Construction and Transportation and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, will discuss development of the region's transportation and logistics infrastructure.
The ministerial conference of transportation was established in 1996 to set the agenda for member countries' programs for transportation and infrastructure development and has been held every five years.
In this year's meeting, about 300 high-ranking officials will participate, including 43 transportation ministers and vice ministers from 41 countries, 30 representatives of international organizations and UNESCAP officials.
The conference will be divided into two sections -- a senior officials' meeting from Nov. 6 to 8 and ministerial meeting from Nov. 10-11. Delegates will review ongoing joint projects and make detailed plans for future projects. The discussion results will be announced as the “Busan Declaration.”
On Nov. 10, the delegates will sign the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network, which the UNESCAP and countries concerned have promoted since the 1960s.
The 81,000-kilometer railway is expected to become Asia's main logistics network, linking 28 countries in Asia such as North and Republic of Korea, China and Russia and complementing sea transportation.
Business forums will also be held on Wednesday and Thursday. The speakers include: former Korean President Kim Dae-jung, World Bank Vice President Frannie A. Leautie, Asian Development Bank Vice President Liqun Jin, Wal-Mart Vice President of Logistics Gary Adams and DHL Express Asia Pacific CEO Scott Price.The source of news: Korea.net November 03, 2006
