10 – 12 June | Geneva, Switzerland – The International Road Federation (IRF) Statistics team participated in the 77th session of the Working Party on Transport Statistics (WP.6) at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) headquarters.

The three-day agenda addressed a wide range of topics, including the monitoring of transport-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), measuring sustainable and resilient infrastructure, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from inland transport and improving international data collection methodologies. Discussions also focused on emerging statistical areas such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure, cycling infrastructure, tram and metro statistics, geospatial transport data and the use of innovative data sources, including mobile phone data, to strengthen transport statistics.

A key topic throughout the session was the importance of strengthening data quality, improving response rates and ensuring greater international consistency in transport datasets.

Delegates explored approaches to harmonising data collection methods and enhancing the availability of statistics needed to support transport planning, investment and performance monitoring.

During the meeting, the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD presented its latest work on transport statistics and moderated discussions on transport resilience as part of its longstanding collaboration with UNECE and Eurostat. These exchanges highlighted the growing importance of data-driven approaches in understanding risks, improving network reliability and strengthening the resilience of transport systems against economic, environmental and operational disruptions.

The session also provided an opportunity for international organisations to present ongoing statistical initiatives and contribute to discussions on future data needs.

In this context, the IRF was able to share the continued value of the IRF World Road Statistics (WRS), one of the world’s most comprehensive and longstanding repositories of road and mobility data.