FIA President Addresses United Nations in Geneva Calling for Action Around Inland Transport and Mobility

Speaking at the Palais de Nations in Geneva, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, addressed the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Inland Transport Committee (ITC) during its 87th Session.

The Session, Success and Challenges for Inland Transport in the Road to 2030, marks the mid-point of the ITC 2030 Strategy and provides the opportunity to review the implementation of the Strategy to date, while discussing the ambitions, successes, and challenges on the path to achieving the strategic objectives.

The ITC Strategy until 2030 is focused around four pillars, whilst also stipulating road safety as a special priority:

• Development of regional and global inland transport conventions
• Support to new technologies and innovations
• Support to regional, interregional, and global inland transport policy dialogues
• Promotion of sustainable regional and interregional inland transport connectivity and mobility

Addressing the Ministerial Session, Ben Sulayem called for action, urging the delegates in attendance to continue their work in making cross-border travel smoother, customs clearance faster, and hazardous goods transport safer.

Calling on global leaders to bolster international cooperation efforts, he said: “We much accelerate implementation, strengthen enforcement, and deepen public-private partnerships. Connectivity must not be a privilege – it must be a right.”

Setting out the clear priorities, Ben Sulayem asked the Session to focus their attention on:

1. Digitalisation of transport procedures: The full implementation of eTIR and eCPD to cut delays and lessen administrative burdens via innovative technological solutions
2. Investment in sustainable infrastructure and fuels: With climate-related risks projected to reach $122 billion, transport corridors must align with decarbonisation goals
3. Stronger public-private partnerships: Leveraging expertise from international organisations and industry leaders, uniting in shared knowledge and continuing the momentum created by the near 1,800 partnerships – many in transport – that are already in place in Europe with a worth of $336 billion

Concluding his address, the FIA President said: “I have dedicated decades to advancing sustainable and connected mobility, and I know what is possible when we turn agreements into actions – and action into lasting change. Now is the time to deliver.”

The ITC is the UN platform to help efficiently address global and regional needs in inland transport. Over the last 75 years, together with its subsidiary bodies, the ITC has provided an intergovernmental forum, where UNECE and United Nations Member States come together to forge tools for economic cooperation and negotiate and adopt international legal instruments on inland transport.

The UNECE is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and was established to promote economic cooperation and integration.

ENDS

About Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) 

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motorsport and the federation of the world’s leading motoring and mobility organisations. 

Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris and Geneva, the FIA is a non-profit organisation. It brings together 245 motoring and motor sport club members from 149 countries across five continents. Its Member Clubs represent millions of motorists, mobility users and motor sport professionals and volunteers. 

The FIA is a central player in upholding the principles of safety and freedom of mobility and defending mobility’s role as an enabler of sustainable development, with actions focused on three key levers.

1. Advocating for the reduction of barriers preventing road users from making more sustainable and safe transport choices
2. Raising awareness and providing data for consumers and policymakers to encourage environmentally responsible behaviour
3. Accelerating energy efficiency and low-emission technologies

In motorsport, it administers the rules and regulations for all international four-wheel sport, including across all 7 FIA World Championships, to ensure fair, capably regulated and safe events are conducted in all corners of the globe. In the realm of Mobility, the FIA aims to ensure that safe, affordable and clean systems of transport are available to all. 

Speech in full:

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honour to speak at this Ministerial Session as we reach the halfway point of the ITC 2030 Strategy.

This milestone is not just a time to reflect—it is a call to action.

We have made progress. But we must go further, and we must go faster.

Having worked in motorsport, mobility, and transport development, I have seen firsthand the impact of UN conventions like the Carnet de Passages en Douane, the TIR system, and ADR regulations. I have lived this.

These are not abstract policies.

They are real solutions, making cross-border travel smoother, customs clearance faster, and hazardous goods transport safer.

International cooperation works.

But in today’s world, we need to do more.

The challenges are clear—climate change, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions.

The solutions?

• They require urgency.
• They require scale.
• And, they require collaboration.

We must accelerate implementation, strengthen enforcement, and deepen public-private partnerships.

At the FIA, we are committed to playing our part.

• With 245 member organisations in 149 countries, we act as a bridge between policymakers and practitioners.
• We push for cleaner, safer, more connected transport.

Connectivity must not be a privilege—it must be a right.

So where do we go from here?

There are 3 clear priorities:

1. Firstly, Digitalisation of Transport Procedures.

• The full implementation of eTIR and eCPD will cut delays and administrative burdens.
• Global shippers are already increasing investment in digital solutions—this is the future.

1. Next, Investment in Sustainable Infrastructure and Fuels.

• Transport corridors must align with decarbonisation goals.
• Given climate-related trade risks are projected to reach at least 122 billion dollars —we cannot afford to wait.

1. Finally, Stronger Public-Private Partnerships.

• Expertise from both international organisations and industry leaders must be leveraged.
• In Europe alone, 1,749 public-private partnerships worth 336 billion have been implemented, most in transport.

We must build on this momentum.

I stand before you not just as the President of the FIA, but as someone who has dedicated decades to advancing sustainable and connected mobility.

I know this space.

I know the people affected by it.

And I know what is possible when we turn agreements into action—and action into lasting change.

Now is the time to deliver.

Thank you.