LEIPZIG, Germany, May 23. The Republic of
Ireland welcomes the progress made by Azerbaijan in the transport
sector in recent years, Jack Chambers, Irish Minister of State at
the Department of Transport, told Trend in an exclusive interview on the
sidelines of the International Transport Forum (ITF) in
Leipzig.

“We welcome the progress made in the transportation sector in
Azerbaijan and beyond in recent years,” he said.

According to the minister, there is a need for collective
leadership across governments all over the globe.

“While COPs have achieved some successes, there remains a need
to constrain broader ambitions, particularly in areas like climate
finance and accelerating capital investments to reduce emissions in
transport systems,” Chambers added.

When speaking about the upcoming COP29 conference in Baku,
Chambers pointed out the clear and tangible impacts of climate
change, emphasizing the critical need for significant decisions
within the COP framework.

“Strong leadership from all countries is essential, alongside
adequate climate finance for developing nations. However, we need
further concrete actions stemming from the certain agreed text. We
need to get everyone around the table and formulate a text that
translates into actionable outcomes, including engagement from
fossil fuel-producing countries, as they have a crucial role to
play,” he said, adding that countries should prioritize
consensus-building and effective actions rather than resorting to
labeling traditional fuel producers.

From May 22-24, 2024, Leipzig, Germany, will host the ITF summit
on transport promoting a sustainable economy, chaired by Lithuania.
Participants will discuss and share ideas on how transport can
drive economic growth while also enhancing environmental and social
sustainability.

The International Transport Forum (ITF) is an intergovernmental
organization with over 60 member countries, including
Azerbaijan.

Established in 2006 under the OECD, the ITF succeeded the
European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT), which had
been in operation since 1953.