Policy paper

International Transport Forum: call to action on the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine

Published 19 May 2022

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

May, 2022

We, as the transport ministers of our countries, have come together to show our solidarity and support for Ukraine in light of the Russian Federation’s unprovoked, large-scale aggression against Ukraine.

We stand in unwavering solidarity with the people and the democratically elected government of Ukraine and are united in our desire to see peace and stability return.

We call upon the Russian Federation to immediately cease its military aggression and to withdraw all its military forces from the entire territory of Ukraine, to within its internationally recognised borders. We welcome the overwhelming response of nations to Russia’s invasion and urge others to raise their voices in support of Ukraine. The Russian Federation’s deliberate attacks on the civilian population and infrastructure have caused indiscriminate loss of life, human suffering, the fastest growing number of refugees since the Second World War and horrific damage to Ukraine’s cities, countryside and economy. It had been our hope that in 21st century Europe, we would not witness the kind of evils we saw in the 20th century.

We recall the condemnation of the Russian Federation’s actions by the UN General Assembly, the OECD Council, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Maritime Organization and other organizations. We applaud the actions of the organizations that have actively provided humanitarian assistance and we call on all nations to help address the humanitarian crisis that the Russian Federation has created. We express our gratitude and support to ITF member states who are directly involved in providing aid to Ukraine in the form of refugee and humanitarian aid transport.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, aided by the Belarussian regime, as a blatant violation of international law and serious threat to the rules-based international order. Furthermore, we categorically condemn the heinous acts and atrocities committed against the civilian population as brazen violations of international humanitarian law and whose actions urgently require independent investigation. Accountability for crimes committed must be ensured.

The targeted destruction of infrastructure, including transport networks, is an assault on the very foundation on which the ITF is built. The ITF and its member countries stand for fostering and promoting development in the transport sector in order to contribute to economic and social growth and the well-being of their populations. Therefore, we commit to ending all cooperation in the ITF with the Russian Federation and Belarussian regime and we applaud the initial steps to significantly limit their participation within the organisation at the extraordinary meeting of the ITF’s Transport Management Board on 4 May 2022.

We recognise that the ITF general rules need to be adapted to meet the unprecedented change in circumstances we face today. We commit to re-examine and further develop the ITF general rules in a way that would both strengthen this organisation and create greater flexibility so to be better able to deal with unprecedented situations in the future.

While the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine is uppermost in our minds, the transport ministers of the ITF come together today in a global forum with the common objective of improving the lives of our populations through better transport policies. We do not want to lose sight of the critical work that the ITF is doing and the policies that we fully support. This includes decarbonising transport with the ultimate goal of eliminating transport-related CO2 emissions; improving transport system designs to enhance their safety, security and inclusivity; and fostering innovation to reinvigorate supply chains and maximise the efficiency of transport networks. We invite the ITF Secretariat to reinforce the work on resilience and reliability of transport systems and networks.

We call upon the ITF to use its expertise and analytical skills to assist the democratically elected government of Ukraine and those who will participate in the rebuilding of Ukraine’s transport systems and infrastructure. We emphasise the need for joint efforts to unblock Ukraine’s trade routes and seaports in the Black Sea so that international trade, especially with respect to agricultural products needed to prevent a food crisis, can resume.

We, as the transport ministers of our countries, call upon all nations and the international transport community to support this call to action in the hope that this destructive war will soon end and the rebuilding of Ukraine can begin.

Signatories, as of 18 May 2022, to the call to action on the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine

1. Australia
2. Austria
3. Belgium
4. Bulgaria
5. Canada
6. Chile
7. Colombia
8. Czech Republic
9. Denmark
10. Estonia
11. Finland
12. France
13. Germany
14. Hungary
15. Iceland
16. Ireland
17. Italy
18. Japan
19. Latvia
20. Liechtenstein
21. Lithuania
22. Luxembourg
23. Malta
24. Netherlands
25. New Zealand
26. Norway
27. Poland
28. Portugal
29. Republic of Korea
30. Slovakia
31. Slovenia
32. Spain
33. Sweden
34. Switzerland
35. Ukraine
36. United Kingdom
37. United States of America