Capacity Development as an Accelerator for Sustainable Transport

Capacity development plays a critical role in addressing the many challenges facing the transport sector – from ensuring integrated planning to fostering inclusive and equitable human development in harmony with nature. However, to achieve meaningful and lasting impact, it is imperative to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of existing capacity development programmes, identify gaps, and tailor interventions to meet the evolving needs of transport professionals, city authorities, and other stakeholders.

With the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026-2035 right ahead of us, further action is needed to continue paving a clear and measurable transformation path – backed by robust data – towards a post-fossil and sustainable transport sector. There remains significant uncertainty and only limited evidence on the impact of the capacity gap in the transport sector on the likelihood of achieving
climate and sustainable development goals.

With this publication and the complementary compact slide deck, we aim to further strengthen evidence-based decision-making by policymakers and academic leaders, to systematically build the institutional, individual, and societal capacities required for a globally just transition of the transport sector towards climate neutrality.