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Asian highway: Cornerstone for Asian and Eurasian connectivity
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Yuwei Li
By Lee Hyo-sik
By Yuwei Li
The Asian Highway Network, which will serve 60 percent of the world’s population and contribute to 30 percent of the world’s GDP if completed, was first conceived in 1959 to resurrect the dream of wider trade and travel and to bring the world closer.
In the 1990s, the Asia-Pacific region as a whole emerged as a dynamic arena of economic growth. Demand increased for reliable and efficient road transport to move large numbers of people and goods across borders. Recognizing such need, the governments of Asian countries worked collaboratively under the auspices of UNESCAP to identify a network of international highways best suited for the purpose.
This collaboration culminated in the 2004 signing of the intergovernmental agreement on the Asian Highway Network, which ushered in a new chapter for connectivity in the region and laid the bedrock for intra and inter-regional connectivity.
The 141,000-kilometer Asian Highway Network spans 32 Asian countries, with linkages to Europe. Its main route, Asian Highway 1, starts in Tokyo and passes through the Korean Peninsula, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey and connects to the European road network at Kapikule, at the border between Turkey and Bulgaria.
The network provides access to major capital cities, industrial and agricultural centers, air and sea ports, container terminals and depots, and tourist attractions. It also sets down common technical standards to provide consistent and continuous connections throughout the region.
The Asian Highway serves as a guiding post for Asian countries to coordinate planning, construction and operation of highways of international importance. Based on the Asian Highway, several sub-regions have developed their highway networks and corridors.
Very often, encouraging news comes to the public to report the completion or upgrading of segments of Asian Highway routes in countries and among countries.
Since the signing of the intergovernmental agreement, the proportion of roads of Class III and below has fallen from 50 percent to 32 percent, while that of Class I and above has grown from 15 percent to 31 percent. In a desire to operate the network, member governments have signed numerous bilateral and multilateral agreements to open up Asian Highway routes to cross-border and transit transport of people and goods.
The sixth meeting of the working group on the Asian Highway Network, a sole intergovernmental body for the network, took place in Seoul against the backdrop of the global 25th World Road Congress on Nov. 2-6.
It provided an unprecedented opportunity for Asian countries to demonstrate their achievements in developing a region-wide highway network and explore new ways to enhance connectivity with Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
It was a unique event at which policymakers, industry representatives and civil society from all over the world discussed the future shape of roads and road transport, including issues relating to current and future trends in road infrastructure, vehicles, traffic management, road safety and a range of other topics.
UNESCAP, partnering with the Korea Expressway Corp. and others, is moving the agenda forward to build a future where highways in Asia will be safe, convenient, reliable, efficient and environmentally friendly.
Yuwei Li, director of the United Nations Economic and Social Division for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)