The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is engaging with the Asian Transport Outlook (ATO) initiative to strengthen the knowledge base on transport in the Asia-Pacific region. The initiative has three main objectives: (i) to support Asian governments in transport policy development and delivery; (ii) to help enable stakeholders track the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and other relevant international agreements on sustainable development; and (iii) to support the planning and delivery of transport sector project preparation.
Asia is a large and geographically diverse continent, with many landlocked countries. Connectivity infrastructure is therefore crucial for trade and economic growth. While a handful of Asian countries have developed world-class transport systems, the transport infrastructure capacity in most other Asian countries remains far below the levels of developed countries. Increasing urbanization and growing traffic demand will add more pressure on largely inadequate transport systems. Data to support the development of high quality and sustainable infrastructure is thus crucial to help identify and address adaptive solutions that would enhance connectivity in Asia and promote trade and economic growth.
The ATO is an open data resource that creates an institutionalized process for transport data and policy information, collection, analysis and documentation. It is a multiyear program initiated by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2020.
AIIB is supporting Phase 3 of the ATO, which involves consolidation of the initiatives conducted under Phase 1 and 2 and involves undertaking a more detailed assessment of transport policies and country-specific information, and updating existing databases, with a focus on transport and climate change. It also includes outreach activities with developing countries and donor partners. Phase 3 will run until November 30, 2024.
"The ATO is a powerful tool to understand transportation challenges and needs in the Asia-Pacific region. The data-driven insights that ATO brings will enable the design of impactful infrastructure solutions to foster sustainable economic development in Asia and beyond," says Andres Pizarro, Transport Sector Head, Infrastructure Investment Department (Region 1), at AIIB.
“By providing insights on transport infrastructure, road safety, air pollution, climate change, ATO is supporting sustainable development in Asia. It serves also as a reference for a transport sector database for other regions,” Manuel Benard, Transport Sector Coordinator, Infrastructure Investment Department (Region 2), at AIIB.
AIIB is one of the five members of the ATO Advisory Group, which includes ADB, the United Nations Center for Regional Development (UNCRD), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the International Transport Forum (ITF).
AIIB is committed to improving infrastructure connectivity and promoting regional cooperation and finances projects that facilitate better domestic and cross-border infrastructure connectivity within and between Asia, and the rest of the world. It works closely with existing and new partners, and financing partners, to help clients build transport infrastructure that promote environmental and social sustainability. Between 2016 and 2022, AIIB transport financing has supported the construction, upgrade or maintenance of 34,007 km of road, rail or metro tracks through a total of 25 projects. More information about AIIB’s Transport Sector Strategy can be found here.
About ATO
Since its establishment, the Asian Transport Outlook has collected, organized, and shared data on the transport sector in 51 economies using more than 400 indicators. Further, ATO has published insights on various dimensions of the transport sector (e.g., infrastructure, road safety, air pollution, climate change, economic impacts) and has a broad scope covering the national, regional, urban/rural and project levels. ATO’s analytical products include a national database, urban database, transport policy database and cost database. The initiative also develops various knowledge products, including among others, the ATO Outlook 2030/2050 and the SDG Status in the Transport Sector. ATO’s latest products are available at www.asiantransportoutlook.com.
About AIIB
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank whose mission is financing the Infrastructure for Tomorrow—infrastructure with sustainability at its core. We began operations in Beijing in January 2016 and have since grown to 106 approved members worldwide. We are capitalized at USD100 billion and Triple-A-rated by the major international credit rating agencies. Collaborating with partners, AIIB meets clients’ needs by unlocking new capital and investing in infrastructure that is green, technology-enabled and promotes regional connectivity.
