Antalya / Turkiye – 10 Nov 2026 – Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan has endorsed the Global Green Freight Corridors Initiative at COP31, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to decarbonizing global supply chains and building climate-resilient logistics infrastructure.
Speaking at the high-level ministerial roundtable on the Global Green Freight Corridors Initiative during COP31, Co-hosted by Türkiye’s Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, alongside the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said a press release.
The roundtable brought together global leaders to address sustainable transit solutions.
In his keynote address, Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan highlighted that while international freight transport serves as the lifeblood of global commerce, it remains one of the fastest-growing sources of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions.
Emphasizing that economic growth and environmental stewardship are mutually reinforcing goals, the Minister noted that the launch of the Global Green Freight Corridors Initiative demonstrates that sustainable logistics is the only viable path forward.
He stressed that as the global community converges around the vital imperatives of COP31, the primary focus must firmly shift toward turning international climate pledges into tangible, cross-border outcomes.
Detailing Pakistan’s strategic geographic advantage as a regional trade bridge connecting China, Central Asia, and the Middle East, Minister Khan highlighted the nation’s vast network comprising over 500,000 kilometers of roads, a 7,800-kilometer railway system, major deep-sea ports, and developing trade arteries under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
To address the historic challenge of moving 96% of domestic freight by road—which heavily strains national resources and impacts urban air quality—Pakistan is advancing a comprehensive, multi-pillar transition strategy. This initiative is driven by the Railway Plan 2026 to elevate rail’s freight share to 20% via the modernized Main Line-1 (ML-1) project, alongside the National Electric Vehicle Policy 2025–30, which establishes 3,000 EV charging stations along major corridors, and complementary maritime reforms across national seaports.
Highlighting Pakistan’s rapid expansion in digitalized cross-border transit under the UN TIR Convention, the Minister revealed a 200% surge in TIR transit volumes, positioning Pakistan as one of the fastest-rising countries in regional trade facilitation. By integrating digital pre-shipment notices directly with the Pakistan Single Window system and advancing the eTIR project with UNECE, Pakistan is pioneering paperless, low-emission international logistics.
To sustain these green infrastructure upgrades, Pakistan is leveraging a diversified financing framework combining Public Sector Development Programme allocations, multilateral support from the Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and private investments through the Public-Private Partnership Authority Act to power major projects like the M-6 Motorway and ML-1 railway upgrades.
Formally endorsing the Global Green Freight Corridors Initiative across its four core pillars of clean technology, digital connectivity, smart route planning, and climate finance, Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan warmly extended Pakistan’s full support to international partners to collaborate on pilot green corridors, turning shared climate vision into lasting global reality.
