Specific success stories - successful projects by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific or ESCAP

UN Chronicle, Spring, 1997

Perhaps more than any other ESCAP undertaking, the Asian highway and railway projects symbolize the effort by ESCAP to encourage cooperation in Asia and the Pacific. The idea to establish a highway running across Asia from Saigon to the Turkish border was launched in 1959. It has developed steadily over the years and has recently receive. d a fuel injection in terms of funding to keep it up with the speedy economic progress in the region.

The Asian highway project has strengthened the sense of regional identity in the Asia-Pacific region. By 1968, it was possible to travel from Europe to Chittagong in Bangladesh. In the eastern sector, one could travel from Singapore to Vientiane via Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

The then Executive Secretary of ESCAP, U Nyun (1957-1973), explained the project this way: "The Asian Highway was a rallying point for Asian countries. It was a way of getting in touch with each other again, for roads have always provided the means of contact between peoples and cultures."

The Asian highway as it stands today is the result of the steady and unrelenting work of ESCAP. With the opening up of the possibility for new routes connecting Asia and Europe, it was decided that an integrated approach would be the best way to improve infrastructure in the region. In 1992, the Commission approved the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project as an umbrella project comprising the Asian highway, the trans-Asian railway and the facilitation of land transport projects. ALTID is a priority for Phase II (1992-1996) of the Transport and Communications Decade for Asia and the Pacific.

ESCAP is now revising and improving the quality of the estimated 67,000 kilometres of road network in Asia with funds from the Government of Japan. The new criteria in highway classification will ensure the connection between capitals, important economic and industrial centres, major sea and river ports, and international container terminals.

Annual growth in the vehicle fleet (motor cycles and cars) is more than 5 per cent in many Asian countries and exceeds 10 per cent in China, India, Laos and Thailand. Growth in roads is most significant in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Mongolia where the length of the paved portion of main roads grows at a rate of more than 4 per cent per year. Development of road networks in Nepal, Myanmar, India and Laos is very slow, sometimes creating what is called "missing links".

New studies on highway networks in North-East Asia are on the drawing board. It is hoped that once these studies are completed, it will result in an Asian Highway network for the whole ESCAP region, thus making the dream of linking Europe and Asia by road come true. The New Asian Highway Route Map, published by ESCAP in 1995, shows the current status of the network.

In the meantime, new countries have become members of ESCAP, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. An Expert Group meeting therefore recommended a new study of highway networks in those countries to include their major highways in the regional Asian Highway network.

Among the obstacles faced by ESCAP in promoting free and smooth movement of land transport is the lack of bilateral agreements between countries sharing a border. The conditions of border crossing road links and facilities sometimes also leaves much to be desired.

Many Asian Highway member countries have not acceded to major international land transport facilitation conventions, including transit conventions, which all play an important role in the development of landlocked countries, such as Afghanistan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal and all Asian Republics. ESCAP therefore undertook a consolidated approach in 1992 by urging the countries that have not yet done so to accede to seven major conventions which are considered the most important for the improvement of land transport. As a result, some countries have acceded to a number of Conventions and other countries are considering to do so.

Even if the physical highway network exists, there is a need to promote its use, in the countries and regionally, for trade and tourism purposes. It is also necessary to provide investment to improve the network continuously, based on up-to-date information on the condition of roads and current traffic demands.

The other part of ESCAP's ALTID project - the plan to strengthen railway linkages within Asia - is gathering steam. The total length of railways in the Asia-Pacific grew only marginally between 1986 and 1994 - by just 2,500 kilometres of track or an average annual rate of growth of only 0.1 per cent. But with trade in the region growing at 13.4 per cent against 9.4 per cent for the world, planners are beginning to improve the rail network in the region, trying to prevent the expanding business from being hampered by more expensive road and air transport.

The development and strengthening of transport linkages within and between the Asian countries are among the objectives of the Transport and Communications Decade for Asia and the Pacific (Phase II 19921996), adopted by ESCAP. ALTID, which is an integrated project of the Decade, comprises the Trans-Asian Railway and Asian Highway projects and Facilitation of Land Transport.