19 – 22 May | Manila, Philippines – The International Road Federation (IRF) participated in discussions on the future of sustainable mobility in the Asia-Pacific region during the Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum 2026, convened by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Held under the theme “From Priorities to Action”, the Forum brought together ministers, senior government officials, development partners, transport practitioners and international organisations to examine how countries can translate the objectives of the newly launched United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035) into practical and measurable outcomes.

The event forms part of ADB’s long-standing commitment to supporting transport policy dialogue, knowledge exchange and capacity development across the region.

Representing IRF, Head of Advocacy and Outreach Alice Yiu joined the plenary session “Delivering on the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport,” alongside leaders from the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SLOCAT).

During the discussion, Yiu highlighted the scale of the challenges facing transport systems across Asia and the Pacific. While the region continues to invest heavily in road infrastructure and is expected to add millions of kilometres of new roads by 2035, significant gaps remain in road maintenance, safety, resilience and accessibility.

She noted that hundreds of millions of people across the region still lack access to reliable all-weather roads, while road crashes and climate-related disruptions continue to impose substantial social and economic costs.

Yiu emphasised that the success of the UN Decade will depend not only on expanding infrastructure networks but also on improving the outcomes those networks deliver. She outlined four key priorities for the road sector: shifting from measuring infrastructure quantity to infrastructure performance, strengthening maintenance and asset management, embedding resilience and safety into transport planning, and transforming institutional approaches to decision-making and project delivery.

She also presented IRF’s contribution to the Decade through the development of implementation roadmaps focused on inclusive, safe, green and efficient roads. These roadmaps aim to help road agencies translate high-level sustainability objectives into practical actions by providing guidance on planning, procurement, performance indicators, resilience and institutional capacity building.

Addressing the importance of capacity development and peer learning, Yiu highlighted IRF’s Road Safety Auditors training and accreditation programmes as an example of how international cooperation can help strengthen technical competencies while supporting local expertise. She noted that structured knowledge-sharing mechanisms can enable countries to exchange practical implementation experience while adapting solutions to their own national contexts.

The discussion also examined how countries can better monitor progress during the Decade. Yiu advocated for moving beyond traditional infrastructure metrics and adopting people-centred indicators that measure accessibility, connectivity, safety and service delivery outcomes. She stressed that stronger data systems and emerging technologies can help transport agencies better understand infrastructure performance and support more informed decision-making.

Looking ahead, Yiu called for greater integration of sustainability, resilience, accessibility and safety considerations into the core operating systems of road agencies. She also underscored the importance of regional collaboration, peer learning and institutional reform in ensuring that the ambitions of the UN Decade translate into measurable improvements on the ground.

As countries across Asia and the Pacific enter the first phase of implementing the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport, IRF remains committed to supporting governments, road agencies and development partners in advancing transport systems that deliver lasting economic, social and environmental benefits.