As announced during the Goods Transport Council in Geneva on 11 May, the Association of International Road Carriers of Uzbekistan (AIRCUZ), in partnership with IRU, is inviting all IRU members to attend the conference “International Road Transport: Driving Resilience and Prosperity” on 13 September 2023 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The conference will address key challenges and opportunities facing road transport with regards to regional connectivity, transport and transit along multimodal east-west and north-south corridors, digitalisation of commercial transport and customs procedures, and chronic commercial driver shortages.
This important event will bring together IRU member associations and companies from the region and beyond, international organisations, development partners and international financial institutions.
A special session celebrating IRU’s 75th anniversary will take place with development, trade and transport figures, as well as IRU’s “New Industry Shapers” from the region.
Participants are also cordially invited to a gala dinner celebrating the 30th anniversary of AIRCUZ in central Tashkent, from 19:00.
A special tour to the city of Khiva combined with an informal round table on prospects of cross-border freight transport with China will be available following the conference (from 14 to 15 September 2023).
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity!
Registration is closed. If you have any questions, please contact Mr Dmitriy Chubenko (dmitriy_chubenko@mail.ru) for AIRCUZ or Ms Valeria Popova (valeria.popova@iru.org) for IRU.
11-12 September 2023, Monday-Tuesday
- Arrivals
13 September 2023, Wednesday
- 09.00-09.30 – Registration
- 09.30-10.00 – Opening session
- Mr Ilhom Makhkamov, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Mr Ilkhom Mukhtorov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Mr Badriddin Abidov, Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Mr Radu Dinescu, President, IRU
- Mr Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, WCO (by video statement)
- Mr Sanjar Pulatov, Chairman, AIRCUZ
- 10.00-11.15 – Main Plenary – Resilience of supply chains in times of crisis
Road transport services have always been crucial for economic and social development, driving prosperity, trade, social inclusion and ultimately peace. However, rapid technological advances, geopolitical uncertainty and the climate crisis are now redefining road transport in all regions. Speakers of the plenary will address challenges and opportunities the industry is facing with regional connectivity, transport and transit multimodal corridors linking East and West, North and South, resilience of supply chains, and digitalisation of commercial transport and customs documentation.- Moderator: Mr Vadim Zakharenko, General Delegate to Eurasia, IRU
- Panellists:
- Mr Jasurbek Choriyev, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Mr Arzybek Kozhoshev, Member of the Board – Minister in charge of Energy and Infrastructure, EEC,
- Mr Lazar Comanescu, Secretary General, BSEC
- Ms Tatiana Rey-Bellet, Director – TIR & Transit, IRU Geneva
- Mr Asset Assavbayev, Secretary General, TRACECA
- Ms Elene Shatberashvili, Manager Group on Road Transport & Multilateral Quota, ITF
- 11.15-11.30 – Presentation of IRU Charter 75 and launch of the signing ceremony
- Mr Umberto de Pretto, Secretary General, IRU
- 11.30-12.00 – Coffee-break and networking
- 12.00-13.30 – Session 1 – Investment in both hard and soft solutions linking Central Asian countries with the global markets
Countries, especially LLDCs, cannot achieve sustainable development without robust, multimodal transport corridors and reliable infrastructure. Disruption of trade and transport links have shifted many surrounding corridors thus putting even more pressure on already congested border crossing points. Therefore, it is equally important that hard infrastructure is coupled with good soft infrastructure – the processes, rules and services that support efficient transport. Speakers of this session will discuss ongoing and future projects related to the hard and soft infrastructure in the region and supported by international financial organisations and development partners.- Moderator: Ms Tatiana Rey-Bellet, Director – TIR & Transit, IRU Geneva
- Panellists:
- Mr Abdulla Khoshimov, Adviser to the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Mr Robert J. Voetsch, Chief of Party, USAID/Central Asia – Trade Central Asia
- Mr Alexander Tatianin, Principal Banker, EBRD
- Mr Shomik Raj Mehndiratta, Practice Manager, Transport, South Asia, World Bank
- Mr Saeed Mohamed, Global Senior Transport Specialist, IsDB
- Ms Asel Uzagalieva, Component Manager, Trade Facilitation in Central Asia, GIZ
- Mr Abdulla Khoshimov, Adviser to the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- 13.30-14.30 – Lunch and networking
- 14.30-16.00 – Session 2 – Managing driver shortage in transition towards autonomous vehicles
Driver shortage is a chronic and serious global issue. Countries across the Americas, Asia and Europe are missing over 2.6 million professional drivers. The shortage is exposing already stressed economies and communities to higher risks of inflation, social mobility issues, and supply chain meltdowns. Automation through connected and automated vehicles will not fully solve the issue, but it does have the potential to fundamentally change the nature of the driving profession, making it more attractive for younger drivers in particular by opening up opportunities which require new skill sets.- Moderator: Mr Vadim Zakharenko, General Delegate to Eurasia, IRU
- Panellists:
- Mr Jan Buczek, President, ZMPD
- Mr Zenonas Buivydas, Secretary General, LINAVA
- Mr Bakhridin Shakirov, Executive Director, AIRCUZ Service
- Ms Valentina Labonarska, Training Project Manager, Latvijas Auto
- Mr Zaheer Ul Haq Abbasi, Country Head in Pakistan, TRISTAR
- Mr Andrius Burba, CEO, Central Asia Projects
- 16.00-16.30 – Coffee-break and networking
- 16.30-17.30 – Session 3 – Transport and development: the road to sustainability, prosperity and peace
A special session celebrating IRU’s 75th anniversary is organised with participation of regional development, trade and transport figures, as well as “New Industry Shapers”: unique individuals and innovators from the region who are leading the road transport sector into the future.- Moderator: Mr Vadim Zakharenko, General Delegate to Eurasia, IRU
- Panellists – Industry Shapers:
- Mr Eduart Kasa, President, BSEC-URTA
- Mr Elyor Khakimov, Customs Officer, Uzbekistan
- Mr Yerlan Absatov, General Director, KazLogistics
- Mr Ming Li, Executive Director, General Manager, SPSI International Road Transportation Co. Ltd.
- 17.30-17.50 – Award ceremony of Best Eurasian Road Transport Operators
- 17.50-18:00 – Conclusions and closing remarks
- Mr Umberto de Pretto, Secretary General, IRU
- 18.00-19.00 – Transfer to hotel // Free time
- 19.00-23.00 – Gala Dinner celebrating 30th anniversary of AIRCUZ
14 September 2023, Thursday
- Early morning – Air travel from Tashkent to Khiva
- 10:30 – 13:00 – Informal round table on enhanced transport connectivity between China and neighbouring countries
- Moderator: AIRCUZ, IRU
- Afternoon and evening – Sightseeing around Khiva
15 September 2023, Friday
- Sightseeing around Khiva (continued)
- Late afternoon – Air travel from Khiva to Tashkent
16-17 September 2023, Saturday-Sunday
- Departures
Speakers
Palace of International Forums
1 Istikbol Street, Tashkent
Uzbekistan
