GPST®

The transport industry has a direct impact on all aspects of our lives

Without it, we couldn’t move around as easily, food and drink would be harder to get hold of, and our shops would certainly be a lot emptier!

The industry employs millions of people around the world and directly contributes to the global economy

However, like any form of business, there are areas that still need improvement:

• Old and badly maintained vehicles lead to high pollution which affects human health.

• Poor transport planning and enforcement can mean a higher risk of accidents and dangerous conditions for both drivers and passengers.

• Lack of coordination between key organisations such as the police, governments, and companies like IRU means it's more difficult to come up with effective solutions to these issues.

Global Partnership for Sustainable Transport®

Together with the United Nations, IRU has co-created the Global Partnership for Sustainable Transport® (GPST®) - a community dedicated to bringing environmental issues to the fore.

After several months of active preparatory work, the ‘soft launch’ of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Transport® (GPST®) took place during the High-Level Event at the side-lines of the historic 70th UN General Assembly.

On 26 September, 2015, the meeting brought together over 100 representatives of private business, business associations and governments, who flagged their full support for this unique business-led, multi-stakeholder, action-oriented partnership.

“The GPST® is a powerful partnership that promises to transform the way we deliver accessible, seamless, efficient, resilient and sustainable mobility services and infrastructure via all modes”, Umberto de Pretto, IRU Secretary General.

According to a majority of the views, the GPST® should become an important implementation tool for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the transportation area, and the decisions of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (HLAGST). (IRU PD NY Activity Report of 1 October 2015).

The IRU-led public-private Global Partnership for Sustainable Transport® (GPST®) was recognised as the primary tool to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the transport sector at the first ever Global Conference on Sustainable Transport, held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on 26 and 27 November 2016.

"The GPST® is a powerful partnership that promises to transform the way we deliver accessible, seamless, efficient, resilient and sustainable mobility services and infrastructure via all modes"

Umberto de Pretto, IRU Secretary General

What does the partnership want to achieve?

The GPST® focuses on three main areas:

• Promoting best practice – giving businesses the tools and information needed to make their day-to-day trading more sustainable. This includes promoting initiatives like the UN Global Compact’s 10 principles.

• Starting the conversation – change starts with understanding. We want to encourage governments and businesses to talk about sustainability and come up with concrete solutions.

• Working in partnership – we can’t do this alone. We want to work in conjunction with other projects and partnerships, and start to make a real difference.