Caribbean Congress Marks Defining Milestone for Regional Collaboration

For Immediate Release: May 9, 2012

(Montego Bay, Jamaica) – Over 200 delegates from 31 countries arrived took part in the opening of the 1st IRF Caribbean Regional Congress, a new platform for dialogue at the service of a region with fast-evolving infrastructure needs.

In his opening address, His Excellency Omar Davies, Minister of Transport, Works & Housing noted the Congress is being held as Jamaica and the Caribbean Region prepare to implement the United Nations Road Safety Resolution declaring 2011-2020 as the Global Decade of Action for Road Safety. “Our commitment to Road Safety is clear and unambiguous”, the Minister added, “we are beginning to see the benefits, as there has been a 20% reduction in road fatalities between January and March this year”. Citing the work of IRF, the Minister also encouraged Caribbean nations to work with international stakeholders in developing world-class traffic road infrastructure and institutions.

Also opening the Congress, IRF President & CEO C. Patrick Sankey read a statement prepared by IRF Chairman His Excellency Abdullah Al-Mogbel, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Chairman hailed IRF’s sustained commitment to enhanced regional dialogue among road stakeholders and expressed hope the Congress would help policymakers transform strategic objectives into planning and investment decisions that are based on a shared understanding of safer road design and sound asset management principles. “This Congress is truly a collaborative endeavor”, Sankey concluded, “and we intend to give maximum international resonance to its key findings.”

Both addresses were followed by a panel discussion with senior representatives of international financial institutions which explored the use of road asset management tools and dedicated funding instruments at the service of the region’s infrastructure priorities.

The 1st IRF Caribbean Regional Congress runs through Friday, May 11 and is being held with the support of the Caribbean Development Bank, the Organization of American States and the Jamaican Ministry of Transport, Works & Housing. IRF is grateful for the financial support of Valley Slurry Seal Co. and other supporting corporations: Transport Industries Inc., Trinity Highways Products International, Deighton Associates Limited, AgileAssets and Colas Solutions.
See pictures of the Congress here

Founded in 1948, the International Road Federation (IRF) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization with members from both the public and private sectors in 90 countries worldwide. IRF promotes the development and maintenance of better, safer roads and road networks throughout the world, using technological solutions and management practices that provide maximum economic and social returns from road investment.

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