Cambodia has joined the International Transport Forum (ITF) as the organisation’s 64th member country. Ministers of transport from the 63 current member states agreed to admit the Kingdom to the ITF on May 19 at their Summit in Leipzig, Germany. Ministry of Public Works and Transport secretary of state Leng Thun Yuthea said at the summit that Cambodia was very proud to be included as the ITF’s 64th member. The admission was a reflection of the government’s effort to develop the country’s transport and logistics sector. “Joining the ITF provides the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with all member countries – an important intellectual capital for the development of the Cambodian transport system in an efficient, sustainable and inclusive manner,” he said. He added that Cambodia will receive the support of member countries – and the Secretariat of the ITF – as they develop techniques and policies to modernise the transport and logistics sector. In a May 21 press release, the ministry quoted ITF secretary-general Young Tae Kim as saying at the summit that Cambodia was the only country in Southeast Asia to join the forum, and he hoped that other countries in the region would follow suit. “The ITF stands ready to support Cambodia in further enhancing its transport policies to meet the needs of its people and economy. The ITF looks forward to hearing about Cambodia’s transport experiences, so as to allow other member countries to learn from them “The ITF is ready to assist Cambodia in formulating transport and logistics policy to achieve its goals as outlined in the Master Plan on Intermodal Transport and Logistics Connectivity,” he was quoted as saying. Nearly 900 delegates assembled in Leipzig from May 18-20 for the ITF’s 2022 Summit under the theme of “Transport for Inclusive Societies”, according to the press release. It added that Cambodia was part of a rapidly developing region in which demand for the transport of people and goods is growing. The ITF is an intergovernmental organisation – now with 64 member countries – which acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises an annual summit of transport ministers and is “the only global body that covers all transport modes”. The organisation is administratively integrated with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) yet politically autonomous, according to the press release. The ITF organises global dialogue for better transport and acts as a platform for discussion and pre-negotiation of policy issues across all transport modes. It also analyses trends, shares knowledge and promotes exchange among transport decision-makers and civil society. Its annual summit is the “world’s largest gathering of transport ministers and the leading global platform for dialogue on transport policy”.