Mr. Yarob Badr, Regional Advisor on Transport and Logistics, Economic Development and Integration Division (EDID), UNESCWA
Statement of Dr. Yarob Badr, UNESCWA Regional Advisor on Transport and Logistics
in the UN DESA Webinar on “Sustainable Transport and COVID-19: Response and Recovery”
1 July 2020
8:30 AM -10:00 AM (EDT, NEW YORK TIME)
Ladies & Gentlemen and Dear colleagues,
I am Dr. Yarob Badr, Regional Advisor on Transport and Logistics at UNESCWA, the Regional
Commission covering 20 Arab Countries out of the 22 forming the League of Arab States.
In these difficult times, I think that we are discovering the interests of not only some relatively
new ICT tools, like the e versions of the TIR, CMR and similar agreements, but also the more
traditional instruments, such as the “National Transport and Trade Facilitation Committees”.
which, if activated and empowered, could help harmonizing and coordinating the actions and
measures undertaken at the national level to keep transport networks and borders operational
to facilitate the flow of goods and services, while containing the further spread of the COVID-19
pandemic. But further efforts are needed to coordinate these mechanisms at the regional and
global levels.
On the digitalization side, and already before the Covid Crisis, UNESCWA designed in 2019 a
project on “Technology and Innovation for Developing Land Transport in the Arab region”, with
the intention to inform on the status of applications of conventional, emerging and future digital
technologies and their benefits for the Land Transport System.
By emerging and future digital technologies, we are focusing on the combined effects of what we
can call the big five: Internet of Things, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence and
Blockchains.
The project is now under implementation, and we highly appreciate receiving any suggestions
or lessons learned from similar initiatives.
I would like to thank our DESA colleagues for giving us the opportunity to contribute to this
fruitful exchange.
And thank you all for your kind attention.
Badr3@un.org
in the UN DESA Webinar on “Sustainable Transport and COVID-19: Response and Recovery”
1 July 2020
8:30 AM -10:00 AM (EDT, NEW YORK TIME)
Ladies & Gentlemen and Dear colleagues,
I am Dr. Yarob Badr, Regional Advisor on Transport and Logistics at UNESCWA, the Regional
Commission covering 20 Arab Countries out of the 22 forming the League of Arab States.
In these difficult times, I think that we are discovering the interests of not only some relatively
new ICT tools, like the e versions of the TIR, CMR and similar agreements, but also the more
traditional instruments, such as the “National Transport and Trade Facilitation Committees”.
which, if activated and empowered, could help harmonizing and coordinating the actions and
measures undertaken at the national level to keep transport networks and borders operational
to facilitate the flow of goods and services, while containing the further spread of the COVID-19
pandemic. But further efforts are needed to coordinate these mechanisms at the regional and
global levels.
On the digitalization side, and already before the Covid Crisis, UNESCWA designed in 2019 a
project on “Technology and Innovation for Developing Land Transport in the Arab region”, with
the intention to inform on the status of applications of conventional, emerging and future digital
technologies and their benefits for the Land Transport System.
By emerging and future digital technologies, we are focusing on the combined effects of what we
can call the big five: Internet of Things, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence and
Blockchains.
The project is now under implementation, and we highly appreciate receiving any suggestions
or lessons learned from similar initiatives.
I would like to thank our DESA colleagues for giving us the opportunity to contribute to this
fruitful exchange.
And thank you all for your kind attention.
Badr3@un.org