PARIS, March 4 /PRNewswire/ --

- The International Transport Forum, 28-30 May in Leipzig Transport and Energy: The Challenge of Climate Change

"The International Transport Forum offers a unique opportunity for the transport sector to say how it will deal with global warming," said Jack Short, Secretary General of the International Transport Forum in Paris on Tuesday, while introducing the programme of the Forum 2008. "The Forum will bring together Ministers, politicians, key industry actors, top researchers as well as high level representatives of NGOs and civil society from around the world to discuss, debate, and provide a set of messages on how the sector can best reduce its impacts on global warming." The Forum will chart the strategies and measures that must be put in place, nationally and internationally, if the sector is to contribute to reducing global emissions by around 50% over the next 50 years. Ministers of Transport, Industry leaders and experts from more than 50 countries will make the Forum the "transport summit of the year."

German Federal Chancellor, Angela Merkel will deliver a keynote address at the Forum 2008. "The participation of the Chancellor underlines the important role foreseen for the International Transport Forum as a high level strategic platform, and also the enormous challenge for the transport sector that global warming poses" said Short. Among the speakers, along with many others, are eminent industry leaders, such as Thomas Enders, CEO, Airbus; Thierry Morin, CEO, Valeo; leading academics like Professor Julia King, author of the recent report "The King Review on low carbon cars"; and key figures of international agencies such as Angel Gurria, OECD Secretary General and Nobuo Tanaka, IEA Executive Director.

Day 1 of the Forum will feature discussions and debates including industry, senior research figures and key stakeholders, who will then distil key messages for policy makers and politicians. Day 2 will include keynotes and high ranking panels on energy security and the roles of technology and policy to reduce emissions in the transport sector. Ministers will discuss institutional and political issues at a specific Ministerial session. Day 3 will disclose the final key messages and conclusions of the Forum.

In addition to the debates and discussions, there will be an exhibition open to companies, public authorities, researchers and associations. The exhibition will display policies and solutions for energy efficient technologies, as well as good practice in energy efficiency and CO2 mitigation.

The International Transport Forum will also award three prizes for innovative, comprehensive and result-oriented strategies designed to improve the sustainability of the transport sector. The three prize categories will be awarded to a local or regional public authority, a company with an innovative mobility management plan and a young researcher.

The Saxon city of Leipzig will be the host city of the International Transport Forum "Transport and Energy: the Challenge of Climate Change" from 28 to 30 May 2008.

See http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/forum2008.html to consult the programme of the forthcoming Forum, obtain registration information and regular updates.

The International Transport Forum, part of the OECD family, is a global platform and meeting place at the highest level for transport, logistics and mobility with more than 50 member countries worldwide. Key figures from government and politics, business and industry, research and civil society will meet at the annual conference in Leipzig, the "Transport Summit of the Year."

For more information, please contact Michael Zirpel, Communications Director, michael.zirpel@oecd.org.

For more information, please contact Michael Zirpel, Communications Director, michael.zirpel@oecd.org