ITF – International Transport Forum
The International Transport Forum (ITF) at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; French: Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Économiques, OCDE) is an intergovernmental organization with 64 member countries in 2022. It acts as a think tank for transport policy. ITF is the only global body that covers all transport modes and is administratively integrated with the OECD, yet politically autonomous.
The roots of the International Transport Forum (ITF) go back to 1953, when 16 European nations signed in Brussels on 17 October the “Protocol concerning the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT)”, which established an international organization to “coordinate and rationalize European inland transport of international importance”. The founders of the ECMT are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom - plus the Anglo-American Zone of the Free Territory of Trieste. The United States and Canada were invited to become associate members at the creation of ECMT; they joined in 1975 and 1977. Belgium was the first country to take over the annually rotating ECMT Presidency.
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ITF emblem |
In 1988, the OECD’s Road Transport Research Programme started the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD). Since 2004, IRTAD is managed by ECMT and later by ITF. In 1990, the ECMT was awarded the prestigious Prognos Prize for its “foresightful and dedicated work for the co-ordination of transport policy decisions on a pan-European level”.
With the Dublin Declaration of 18 May 2006, the ministers from 43 countries transform the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) to a new global, all modes organization named International Transport Forum (ITF) on the legal roots of the ECMT. Since 2008, ITF holds Annual Summits of transport ministers on specific topics. The Annual Summit of the ITF has established itself as the leading global transport policy event since its launch. It brings together transport ministers, CEOs, Heads of International Organisations and thought leaders to discuss strategic issues and align views.
The ITF works closely with other international organizations. It has strong links with the United Nations system and collaborates on transport-related projects with the Multilateral Development Banks, such as the World Bank.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Transport Forum (ITF) have established a new agreement to engage in joint research and events as well as exchanges of information and staff; the new ICAO/ITF Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) was signed by both organizations on 23 June 2015. It identifies topics of joint interest including international air transport liberalization, the security and passage of air travellers, and aviation infrastructure investment. The agreement covers an initial three-year period, with both organizations being accorded observer status at their meetings. Building on their existing cooperative programmes to better forecast air passenger flows and related impacts, both organizations will work together on statistics methodology and data aggregation, data analysis and forecasting, and conduct economic studies on air transport development.
ITF is recognized as Observer Delegation at the Sessions of the ICAO Assembly.
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Protocol establishing the European Conference of Ministers of Transport signed on 17 October 1953.
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First day cover commemorating the 10th anniversary of the ECMT. Issued by Belgium, birthplace of the Organization. Belgium took over the annual ECMT Presidency in 1963. Photo Credit: ITF History.
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First day cover (and special insert) commemorating the annual meeting of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) held in Austria in 1995. Austria held the ECMT Presidency for 1995.
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Czech Republic held the ECMT Presidency for 2000. |
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