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 CLOSING PLENARY  

The Way Ahead for Transport in Asia and the Pacific
20 May 2026, Wednesday
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Auditorium Halls 1-4

The Closing Plenary will bring the Forum’s discussions together in a forward-looking dialogue focused on the way ahead for the region. Building on insights from the opening plenary, the session on the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport, and the thematic and sectoral sessions held during the first days of the Transport Forum, the plenary will synthesize key lessons on translating priorities into action and strengthening implementation readiness across transport modes.

The session will reflect on emerging trends, policy directions, financing approaches, and institutional reforms shaping the sector's future. The plenary will highlight practical pathways to scale up delivery, deepen partnerships, and align transport investments with sustainable development objectives—advancing safe, inclusive, resilient, and low-carbon transport systems across Asia and the Pacific.

By the end of the session, participants will:

  1. Share a vision for the future of transport as a driver of sustainable development and economic integration in Asia and the Pacific.
  2. Understand the strategic opportunities to accelerate the transition toward sustainable, inclusive, resilient, and low-carbon transport systems, particularly in the context of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport.
  3. Gain broadened awareness of how policy ambition, financing, technologies, and institutional capacity can be translated into deliverable transport projects and sustained results.

Moderator:
Jamie Leather, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Speakers:

Katja Schechtner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Andres Pizarro, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
Astra Bonini, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
Benedict Eijbergen, The World Bank
Sushil Babu Dhakal, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (Nepal)
Setia N Milatia Moemin, DAMRI (Indonesia)

Closing Remarks:

Fatima Yasmin, Asian Development Bank (ADB)