Geographic Information System for transport networks and facilities in the Arab region

ESCWA seeks to promote regional integration. It has prepared transport agreements to facilitate the transport of people and goods from and to all Arab countries through multimodal transports (road, rail, and maritime). The goal is to increase intraregional trade, cooperation, harmonization and the free movement of goods and trade for the benefit of all people and in implementation of the sustainable development goals.

The transport-Geographic Information System (Transport-GIS) project seeks to monitor the implementation of ESCWA transport agreements and to gain a clearer understanding of the performance of roads, rails, ports, airports border crossings and logistic zones in the Arab region through the development of a GIS platform.

ESCWA transport agreements:

Agreement on International Roads in the Arab Mashreq

Agreement on International Railways in the Arab Mashreq

Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Transport Cooperation in the Arab Mashreq

Our approach

The Transport-GIS project is part of baseline studies within the framework of the ESCWA work to develop a multimodal transport system that supports sustainable and inclusive development, in partnership with global and regional stakeholders.

The project consists of developing a cloud GIS platform to assess the performance of regional transport infrastructure and services in Arab countries, and to identify any shortcomings and missing links therein, and establish the initiatives needed to address them. The GIS platform also falls within the framework of the global initiative for the development of the International Transport Infrastructure.

Our partners

Ministries of transport in member States, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

Our activities

The project focuses on the development of a cloud GIS platform and a user’s manual for national focal points. It also includes in-person capacity-building workshops and several online workshops to train focal points on how to remotely populate the platform with the necessary data and information.