UN Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026 - 2035) - The road towards the launch and the Implementation Plan: a stakeholder briefing | Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Background
Documentation

Background

In 2023, the General Assembly declared the first ever United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport to start in 2026.

While there is no single dedicated Sustainable Development Goal for transport, it is reflected in several SDG targets and recognized as an enabler for achieving many of the goals. Both the political appreciation of sustainable transport as well as our scientific understanding of transport’s linkages, both synergies and trade-offs, with issues such as resilient infrastructure development, food security, economic growth, trade, global supply chains, promotion of health, energy efficiency and tackling of climate change have greatly improved in the last years.

The United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport will be an opportunity to further raise awareness of transport’s crucial role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and to gather and rally new solutions, resources and partnerships to advance sustainable transport globally.

Through the resolution A/78/148 titled “Strengthening the links between all modes of transport to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals” Member States also requested the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to develop an Implementation Plan for the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport, in collaboration with the UN Regional Commissions and in consultation with the Member States, the United Nations system and all other relevant stakeholders.

The Implementation Plan for the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport will be a critical tool in steering global efforts towards sustainable, inclusive, and resilient transportation systems. By fostering collaboration, mobilizing resources, and ensuring effective monitoring, the plan can shine a light on the critical importance of sustainable transport, contribute significantly to its achievement and to the attainment of several of the SDGs.

The Implementation Plan of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport is expected to serve as a strategic framework to coordinate actions, mobilize resources, and monitor progress towards sustainable transport worldwide. The Implementation Plan is expected to be global and non-binding in nature.

The Implementation Plan will be launched on 10 December 2025 at a special event in the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. More information is available here: https://sdgs.un.org/sustainabletransportlaunch. This multi-stakeholder event will also signify the launch of the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport. The launch event will provide an opportunity for Member States and a variety of stakeholders to showcase their commitment to sustainable transport, share good practices and make announcements of the actions and activities they intend to take to advance sustainable transport during the UN Decade.

Stakeholder Contributions

To ensure meaningful and substantive engagement of stakeholders in the preparations for the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport, stakeholders were invited to contribute their views, comments and inputs to the implementation plan of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport through a Global Online Stakeholder Consultation. It’s summary report provided key insights into the drafting of the Implementation Plan.

Additionally, inputs were also collected through a multi-stakeholder virtual webinar held in November 2024. Details are available here.

Call for commitments

The United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport aims at catalyzing accelerated action towards more sustainable transport systems worldwide. To support this goal, all stakeholders are encouraged to put forward bold, forward-looking initiatives that will propel us towards more sustainable transport and a more sustainable world for future generations at the launch of the UN Decade.

In September 2025, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs opened a call for voluntary commitments from Member States and other stakeholders to support action during the UN Decade. These commitments will be highlighted throughout the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport at different events, starting with the 10 December 2025 launch. To enhance transparency and accountability, all initiatives will be registered on a dedicated digital space, hosted on the UN Decade website, which allows the public to access information. The action commitments will become a prominent part of the implementation and follow-up of the UN Decade. Further commitments and initiatives can be registered in 2026 to support the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport and to turn the associated Implementation Plan into action.