ESCAP

 

The United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN/ESCAP) was set up under the name of the Economic Commission For Asia and the Far East by the UN Economic and Social Council in 1947, and the name of this commission became Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in 1974. The secretariat of UN/ESCAP is in Bangkok. The region stretching from Turkey to Tokyo is situated in the scope of UN/ESCAP project area.

The aim of Asian Highway studies are to accelerate regional and international commerce and tourism through establishing safe and effective transport connections in the Asian and the Pacific region. The Asian transport networks comprising the Asian Highways, the Asian Railways and the Trans-Asian Railways were formed by ESCAP in 1992 within the framework of  the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project.

Turkey's membership to ESCAP started legally on July 18, 1996.

In 1998 at the outset in the context of the studies initiated to determine the Asian highway network within the boundaries of Turkey, the length of the Asian highway route in Turkey was determined to be 3,200 km. However, after the demand was made to provide connection also to the new member countries of ESCAP, such as Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Black Sea Coastal Road and Ankara–İstanbul Motorway were incorporated to the Asian Highway linkage.

The length of the Asian Highways Network in Turkey is 5,268 km

The fundamental aim of developing the Asian Highway Network is to establish an infrastructure adaptable to international transport and environmental  conditions in order to strengthen relations among the member countries of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, in order to foster international trade and tourism. The project on the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network similar to the project on the European Agreement on Main International Traffic Arteries (AGR) was launched at the pioneership of the secretariat of UN/ESCAP to specify joint highway routes among the thirty-two ESCAP Member States and to bring these routes into minimum geometric, physical and signage standards in Asia and the Pacific.

The Sixtieth Meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific was held at Shanghai, China from 22 April 2004 to 28 April 2004. In this meeting, the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network was opened for signature by the thirty-two countries which are members of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Turkey signed this agreement on April 26, 2004.

The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network, drawn up by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, was approved by the Council of Ministers of Turkey on 14 September 2009, and the law regarding the approval of the ratification of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highways Network entered into force after its publication in the Turkish Official Gazette dated October 7, 2009.

(http://www.unescap.org/our-work/transport/asian-highway)