Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba in GENEVA, Switzerland
The 88th session of the United Nations (UN) Inland Transport Committee (ITC), which is being attended by delegates from various countries, commenced on Tuesday at the United Nations Palais des Nations.
The event will run until 20 February 2026.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona is leading the Zimbabwean delegation, which also includes the ministry’s legal advisor, Advocate Kingston Magaya; Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) board chairperson, Mr Kura Sibanda; TSCZ managing director, Mr Munesu Munodawafa; and other senior Government officials.
The Inland Transport Committee serves as the UN platform for inland transport, aiming to effectively address global and regional needs in the sector. It is being held amid significant transformations within the United Nations system and the global transport sector.
Minister Mhona will address a key ministerial panel on Wednesday, focusing on innovation and automation in inland transport.
The high-level meeting addresses mega-trends such as automation, artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and data-driven governance, exploring how innovation can be responsibly harnessed through coherent, science-based, and interoperable regulatory frameworks to make inland transport safer, greener, and more resilient.
Over the last 75 years, the ITC, along with its subsidiary bodies, has provided an intergovernmental forum where UNECE and United Nations Member States collaborate to forge tools for economic cooperation and adopt international legal instruments concerning inland transport.
These legal instruments are deemed indispensable for developing efficient, harmonised, integrated, safe, and sustainable inland transport systems, including railways and inland waterways.
More than 20 ministers from across the world, along with senior government officials, heads of international organisations, and leaders from industry and civil society, will discuss strategic priorities and consider a wide range of policy, governance, and technical issues shaping the future of inland transport across road, rail, inland waterways, and intermodal systems.
