In 2023, the United Nations General Assembly declared the first-ever United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport, to take place from 2026 to 2035.
While there is no single dedicated Sustainable Development Goal for transport, sustainable transport is reflected across multiple SDG targets and is widely recognised as a key enabler for achieving the 2030 Agenda. Over recent years, both political recognition and scientific understanding of transport’s links with issues such as resilient infrastructure, food security, economic growth, health, energy efficiency, trade, and climate action have significantly increased.
The UN Decade of Sustainable Transport provides a unique opportunity to raise global awareness, mobilise new partnerships, and accelerate solutions that advance sustainable, inclusive, and resilient transport systems worldwide.
There is no single Sustainable Development Goal dedicated to transport. Yet, sustainable transport plays a critical role across the SDGs, enabling access to jobs, education, health care and public services, supporting economic development, improving road safety, reducing emissions and strengthening climate resilience.
Recognising transport as a cross-cutting enabler is essential to understanding how progress in mobility contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Click on any SDG on the right to explore how sustainable transport supports its achievement.
Click any SDG icon to see how sustainable transport contributes.
You can access the Implementation Plan here.
Through resolution A/78/148 – “Strengthening the links between all modes of transport to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”, Member States requested the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) to develop an Implementation Plan for the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport, in collaboration with UN Regional Commissions and relevant stakeholders.
The Implementation Plan will serve as a global, non-binding strategic framework to:
Coordinate action across regions and sectors
Mobilise resources for sustainable transport initiatives
Strengthen collaboration among governments and partners
Improve monitoring and visibility of transport’s contribution to the SDGs
By providing direction and coherence, the Implementation Plan can help accelerate progress towards sustainable, inclusive and resilient transport systems worldwide.
As part of the UN Decade, GIZ contributes through three complementary voluntary commitments that support evidence-based, measurable and people-centred transport transformation. The links below lead to dedicated platforms for each commitment, which together form a pathway from evidence to impact.
The UN Decade of Sustainable Transport was officially launched at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Watch the recording to explore the vision, priorities and next steps.
Watch on UN WebTV ↗
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Transport systems are the lifelines of modern economies and societies, yet they’re also major contributors to inequality, pollution, and climate change. As the world stumbles to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport offers a timely and powerful opportunity to transform mobility for good. The decade was announced in December […]
