ECONOMIC COOPERATION ORGANIZATION (ECO)
Presentation of activities on implementation of TTFA
and promotion of accession to/implementation of
international legal instruments facilitating transit
transport
(18, 20, 22 August 2014, Pakistan)
Zukhra Abisheva,
Programme Officer,
Directorate of Transport and Communications
Potential of the ECO region
Consisting of ten member countries of the central and western Asia:, the ECO
region occupies 5.3% of total world land area and with 430 million population
(2011), enjoys 6.2 % of total world population, has the high potential of mass
movement of cargo/passeng.er. The region lies at the heart of the main NorthSouth and East-West corridors. Length of asphalted roads is exceeding 550,000
km. Length of railways is exceeding 52,000 km).
ECO Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA)
TTFA is ECO’s the basic document in the transport sector, providing
backgrounds for a historical movement toward reduction of cost and
acceleration of the transport services through harmonization and
modernization of transit transport in the region
TTFA is in force since 2006 with the ratification of the Parliaments of eight
Member States: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz
Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Turkey
OBJECTIVES:
•
Facilitation of movement of goods and passengers
• Ensuring the safety of goods and passengers and avoiding
unnecessary delays during the transit traffic
• Cooperation and coordination of the efforts to avoid the incidence
of customs frauds and tax evasion
• Harmonizing necessary administrative affairs dealing with transit
traffic
ECO Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA)
A special mechanism and a FUND has been
established to coordinate, support and monitor
the implementation of the TTFA
Road
Committee
Railway
Committee
TTCC
Insurance
Committee
Customs
Transit
Committee
ECO Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA)
Implementation of road and customs provisions of the TTFA
being administered y Road and Customs Transit Committees
of TTCC:
Article 5: Customs Duties, Taxes and other Levies and Charges
Article 9: Measures designed to expedite clearance of Transit Traffic
Article 10 Safety of Transit Traffic
Article 14 Traffic Regulations
Article 15 Road Transport Permits
Article 17: Temporary Admission of Means of Transport
Article 20 Mutual Recognition of Driving Licenses
Article 21 Mutual Recognition of Certificate of Road Worthiness
Article 24: Transit Services
Article 28: Setting up Customs Transit System
Article 29: Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures
Article 30: Consolidation and Alignment of Documentation
Article 31: Notification of Change in Documentation and Procedures
Article 32: Basic Documentation and Procedures
Article 34: Domestic Legislation
Article 35: International Conventions
ECO Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA)
ANNEXES to the TTFA :
ANNEX-I
Prescribed road, rail and inland waterway transit routes
ANNEX-II
Minimum technical characteristics of transit roads
ANNEX-III
Minimum technical characteristics of railway transit transport
ANNEX-IV Technical requirements of road vehicles
ANNEX-V
Motor Vehicles Third Party Insurance
ANNEX-VI
Rules of Carriage by Road Transport
ANNEX-VII Customs Control
ECO/IDB Joint Project on implementation of TTFA
Technical Assistance Agreement (Grant) was signed between ECO and IDB
(2009 ) to prepare a Regional Program for the implementation of TTFA with the
total amount US$512,000.
The Project anticipated assisting ECO to make plans for the implementation of
TTFA where eight out of ten member states are the Contracting Parties to
TTFA.
The scope of the Project includes three subcomponents:
a) providing consultancy services to produce analytical reports, a priority
investment plan etc.;
b) organizing training workshops
c) establishing Project Management Unit (PMU).
Studies on road, rail and insurance provisions of the TTFA under the
subcomponent “consultancy services” have been successfully completed
and resulted in preparing:
1. ECO Railway Network Development Plan
2. ECO Road Network Development Plan
3. Report on the status of Motor Vehicle Third Party Liability (MVTPL)
insurance scheme.
ECO/IDB Joint Project on implementation of TTFA
The ECO Railway Network Development Plan identifies 40 regionally
important projects for priority development with a total length of 12,298 km
railway lines and with estimated cost $43,4billion.
The ECO Road Network Development Plan outlines 47 regionally important
infrastructure projects on road for priority development with a total length of
approximately 11,450 km and estimated cost $21 billion.
The report on the insurance component represents the comprehensive
information on the status of MVTPL insurance scheme in the member states,
including information and recommendations for implementation of the White Card
Scheme.
ECO is mandated to organize Regional Partnership Forum with participation of
national, regional and international organizations and funding institutions to
implement projects envisaged in the ECO Road and Rail Network Development
Plans..
The study on the customs provisions of the TTFA is the remaining component
to be implemented at the second phase of the Project with technical support of
UNECE and UNCTAD.
ECO/IDB Joint Project on implementation of TTFA
Under the Subcomponent ”organizing training workshops” ECO is designing
and organizing capacity building programmes on transport in partnership with
relevant international organizations and institutions.
Capacity building workshops/training workshops, held in
2012-2013:
 The ECO/UNECE Workshop on Unified Railway Law (Ankara, June 2012)
 The Regional Training Course on Third Party Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance (ECO White
Cart), Tehran, November 2012, in partnership with the International Green Card Council of
Bureaux
 The 2nd ECO/IRU Regional Conference on Transit Transport and the TIR System, Istanbul
June- July 2012.
 Training Course on TIR for Afghanistan, (Mashhad, June 2012).
 Training Course on TIR for Afghanistan (Ankara, 2012).
 Training Course on TIR for Pakistan (Ankara, May 2013).
Capacity building programmes being held and planned for 2014:
 Capacity Building Workshop on TIR for Pakistan, Islamabad, August 2014.
 The Regional Workshop on Third Party Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance, Istanbul, 2nd
September 2014.
 The 3rd ECO/IRU Regional Conference on Transit Transport and the TIR System, Tehran, 15
September 2014.
 Regional Capacity Building Workshop on the UN Agreement ADR, Ankara, 2014.
ECO Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA)
The status of accession to/ implementation of the international conventions
and agreements, mentioned in the TTFA, are being pursued
by TTCC and its technical committees
The international conventions and agreements are directed to:
•
provide the international legal and technical framework for the development
of international road, rail, inland waterway and combined transport ;
•
address a wide array of transport issues which fall under the responsibility of
Governments;
•
have an impact on international transport. which includes coherent
international infrastructure networks, uniform and simplified border-crossing
procedures and uniform rules and regulations aimed at ensuring a high level
of efficiency, safety and environmental protection in transport.;
•
appear to be today of utmost importance for Governments of newly
independent States who need to build their transport regulations in line with
those existing in the European countries.
ECO Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA)
List of international conventions and agreements,
mentioned in the TTFA and recommended by the TTCC:
i.. Convention on Road Traffic, 1968
ii. Convention on road signs and signals, 1968.
iii. Rules of use of wagons in international traffic (PPW).
iv. Agreement governing the exchange and use of wagons between Railway Undertakings (RIV).
v. Agreement governing the exchange and use of coaches in international traffic (RIC).
vi. Agreement concerning International Carriage of Passenger (SMPS).
vii. Agreement on International Carriage of Goods (SMGS).
viii. Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF).
ix . Contract for International Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM).
x. Contract for International Carriage of Passengers and Luggage by Rail (CIV).
xi. Regulations concerning International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (RID).
xii. ITU regulations for inland Waterway Navigation.
xiii. Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under coverage of TIR Carnets,
(TIR Convention), 1975.
xiv. European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR)
xv.. Convention on Transit Trade of Landlocked Countries, 1965
xvi. ECO Transit Trade Agreement
xvii. Convention on the Contract for the International carriage of Goods by Road (CMR), 1956 and
Protocol to this Convention , 1978
xviii. The International Green Card System on MVTPL Policy
ECO Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA)
ECO plays an active role in promoting and facilitating the accession of
its member states to important international conventions and
agreements in the field of transport , in close cooperation with the
relevant international organizations and institutions
Examples of ECO’s activities in this field in 2012-2013:
 Reactivation of the TIR Convention in Afghanistan is finalized in coordination
with ECO and IRU and official ceremony was held on 4 September 2013 in
Kabul
 Membership of the Afghanistan Rail Authority (AfRA) to the International
Union of Railway (UIC) as December 2013
 Internal procedures for Pakistan’s accession to the TIR Convention started by
the Government of Pakistan, in coordination with ECO and IRU
 Pakistan’s accession to COTIF is successfully completed, in close coordination
with ECO/OTIF in 2013
 The Republic of Azerbaijan’s accession to COTIF at final stages.
 Capacity building activities are initiated for promoting the accession of the
ECO member states to ADR.
ECO’s projects to develop road and railway corridors
High Level Working Groups established under the aegis of ECO
to operationalize the ECO corridors:
•
•
•
•
•
ECO Container Train on Istanbul – Almaty route
ECO Container Train on Bandar Abbas - Almaty; route
ECO Container train on Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul route;
Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul (ITI) Road Transport Corridor;
Kyrgyz Republic-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran (KTAI) Road Transport Corridor
Infrastructure projects of regional significance being pursued
under the aegis of ECO:
• Construction of railway with standard gauge from China to Europe through
the Kyrgyz Republic-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran (KTAI)
• Construction of Railway between Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran
• Qazvin-Rasht-Astara (Iran)-Astara (Azerbaijan) Railway Construction Project
Kyrgyz Republic-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran (KTAI) Railway
Total length is around 2155 km.
Out of this 215 km is in China, 194 km in Kyrgyzstan, 496 km in Tajikistan, 1250 km (from Sherkhan
Bandar to Herat is in Afghanistan. The total length of Sangan (Iran)-Herat Railway line is 191 km out of
which 76 km in the Iranian territory has already been constructed. 60% progress has been achieved in
construction of the sub-segment between Chah-e-Sorkh (border with Iran) to Rozanak area of Herat province.
The feasibility study for the sub-segment between Faryab and Mazare-Sharif is due to be completed in2014.
The feasibility study in Tajik segment has been already completed.
Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran Railway Project
Total length is 900 km
The Iranian segment (90 Km) and the segment in Kazakhstan (146 km) were completed and
INAUGURATED in May 2013. Only 32 km is the remaining segment in the territory of
Turkmenistan. It is planned to start operating the route in October 2014.
The Qazvin-Rasht-Astara-Astara Railway Project
The Railway Project has three parts. Two parts, namely, Qazvin-Rasht and Rasht-Astara with a total
length of about 369 km are located in Iran, and the 3rd part (less than 10 km) is located in Azerbaijan.
Field visits to the construction site (May and November 2013) noted the remarkable progress at QazvinRasht segment of the Project. The significance of the Project is to make up the missing link along the
internationally recognized “North-South” Corridor. .
Thank You