United Nations Nations Unies

1 United Nations Nations UniesSecretary-General's Global Sustainable Transport ConferenceHosted by the Government of TurkmenistanAshgabat, Turkmenistan26 - 27 November 2016 Plenary session with statements of commitment and ambitionStatements by ministerial-level participantsHis Excellency Ban Ki-moonSecretary-General of the United Nations ,Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,Good Morning,Introduction1. I am truly delighted to be here in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan toparticipate in this Global Sustainable Transport Conference this It gives me great honour to address this conference on behalf ofthe Government of I wish to also express my appreciation to His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations for his leadership andable Importance of TransportExcellencies,4.

2 An efficient and integrated transport system is imperative toincrease economic competitiveness and facilitate integration with theglobal economy. Transport is without doubt, a catalyst for economicgrowth. The importance of transport's role, its contribution and the needfor further development of transport infrastructure to enhance transportlinkages and connectivity is well Therefore, sustainable transport is crucial to ensure the freedom ofmobility of both, people and goods, without sacrificing essential humanor ecological values including affordability for socially disadvantagedgroups and the long-term financial feasibility of transport 's commitment for SDGs6.

3 Malaysia is committed to support and implement the 2030 Agendafor Sustainable Development. Looking at the current developmentstrategies and goals of the country, I am pleased to inform that Malaysiais on the right track towards achieving the global SDG Agenda,particularly in the transport In supporting the SDG agenda on climate change, Malaysia haspledged commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions forup to 45% in terms of emission intensity of GDP by the year 2030. Thecommitment is conditional to technology transfer and financial supportfrom developed Malaysia Plan 2016-20208.

4 The Eleventh Malaysia Plan 2016-2020, a plan formulatedprioritising the wellbeing of the people across all development efforts, inmany aspects mirrors the multi-dimensional nature of the SDGs and willserve as an overarching and guiding policy for sustainable developmentin this With the theme "Anchoring Growth on People", the EleventhMalaysia Plan sets out six strategic thrusts designed to drive theeconomy forward, address challenges and embrace opportunities in therapidly changing global landscape. Global sustainable developmentgoals are integrated into the planning framework as part of the nationaloutcomes for the strategic Growth Strategy For Development10.

5 Recognizing the importance of conserving our environment for ourfuture generations and the increasingly extreme changes in weatherevents, the fourth thrust of the Eleventh Malaysia Plan will focusexclusively on adopting green growth strategy for development. Itrepresents Malaysia's strong commitment towards the environment andits long-term While Malaysia's development plans are extensive, it is importanthowever to examine areas where the SDGs can further enrich ourdevelopment plans. This is to ensure that our development aspirationsare aligned comprehensively to the Post 2030 To achieve these outcomes, Malaysia will be focusing on four keyareas in pursuing green growth for sustainability and resilience:3(a) Strengthening the enabling environment for green growth;(b) Adopting the sustainable consumption and production concept;(c) Conserving naturalgenerations; andresources for present and future(d) Strengthening resilience against climate change and Low Carbon Mobility13.

6 The transportation sector in Malaysia accounts for approximately35% of the total energy consumed nationally, and produces nearly 50million metric tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in 2015, second only toelectricity power Out of this, of transportation emissions comes from roadtransport. This is due to the high rate of personal automobile ownership,where cars account for about 59% of the overall emissions fromtransport, while freight contributes 27%.15. In facing these challenges, one of the strategies in adopting thesustainable consumption and production concept under the EleventhMalaysia Plan is by encouraging low carbon mobility.

7 This is in line withSDG's goal of making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,resilient and sustainable as well as taking urgent action to combatclimate change and its The Usage Of Public Transport16. Low carbon mobility emphasises on the usage of public transport,which emits nearly half of a single occupant car's carbon footprint. Byencouraging the use of public transport, we can reduce congestion andat the same time minimise environmental There are several mechanisms to reduce energy consumption andemissions of harmful gases including black smoke of the Efficient Vehicles (EEVs)18.

8 These include using energy efficient vehicles (EEVs), increasingthe use of biofuels and compressed natural gas (CNG), placing higherfuel standards to reduce air pollution and increasing the use of publictransportation as the preferred mode by providing a seamless andreliable modal mix of This will eventually reduce overdependency on private Furthermore, the use of EEVs is in line with the objectives of theNational Automotive Policy (NAP) 2014. EEVs can contribute tominimising the impact on the environmentdependency on fossil fuel and fuel wastageharmful gases and black terms of reducingas well as emission of21.

9 The Government is working with relevant agencies to increaseadoption of EEVs, especially for public transport like buses and Transport Investments22. Malaysia is currently actively embarking on massive publictransport investments in cities -including Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)systems in Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley (GKL/KV) and bussystems in other state capitals. This is in line with our target to achieve40% public transport modal share in GKL/KV and 20% in other The Government will also work towards increasing bio-dieselblending requirements of up to 15% in automotive fuel and implementingthe EURO 5 emission standards during the Eleventh Malaysia Planincluding promoting the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

10 Road Safety InitiativeExcellencies,24. In making our cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,resilient and sustainable, Malaysia has launched several initiativesincluding the Blackspot Mitigation Programme and Road Safety Through these programmes, it is estimated that the national roadfatalities will be reduced by 50% by 2020, in line with therecommendations of the United Nations Decade of Action for RoadSafety 2011-2020 while the response time to address road hazards,including landslides and potholes, will be ,26. Recently, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)during its 39th Assembly adopted a Resolution for the establishment of6 Global Market Based Measure to offset CO2 emissions frominternational aviation and contribute to the carbon neutral growth of thesector from 2020 Malaysia is committed to the 2020 goal of reducing carbonemissions by 40%, a challenge we can meet - that end, wehave pledged to support ICAO's Global Market-Based PORT INITIATIVE28.