Conference

International Symposium on Sustainable Transport and Urban Mobility 2026.

The UN Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035), aims to accelerate global action toward safe, affordable, accessible, and low-carbon transport systems. Coordinated by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) with Regional Commissions and partners, the Decade promotes integrated solutions that link transport with climate action, health, equity, and economic resilience, advancing the Sustainable Development Goals through innovation, policy coherence, and inclusive mobility for all. The implementation plan provides a shared vision for the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport and outlines six priority areas and the means of implementation needed for transformative action by all relevant stakeholders. In line with this decade, various inoitiation, activities have been planned and implemented globally and nationally. Similarly, with rapid urbanization and major population of the world being in cities, it is urgent to deals with the urban transportation system i.e. urban mobility challenges. Integrated mass transportation, investment in non motorized transport and pedestrian facilities are one of the common strategies adopted as part of urban mobility. Nepal is also prioritizing the development efforts in transport infrastructure, which is well reflected in periodic plans and annual budget programs at the central, provincial as well as local levels. Efforts are aimed at achieving safe, easy, and quality transport services by the expansion of road networks, air transport, railways, and waterways as stipulated in the current 16th Five Year Plan. The Kathmandu Valley, Nepal's economic and political heartland, exemplifies this challenge: the Valley is experiencing accelerated urban growth, a surge in motorised vehicles, worsening air quality, and mounting pressure on existing road infrastructure. To tackle this issues, government is working for Kathmandu Valley Urban Transportation Master Plan along with discussion regarding implementation of mass transportation. Similarly, the transport sector’s efforts are aimed at overall national prosperity. Therefore, it must be linked with the various activities, and services, for all tiers of administrative, economic, as well as social structure. In these circumstances, the Society of Transport Engineers Nepal (SOTEN) has taken initiatives to bring the international and national stakeholders into a common forum for an interface and understanding of the approaches and efforts of planning and implementation of Sustainable Transport Decade implementation plan and urban mobility. SOTEN has concluded three international and three national seminars on various aspects of transportation engineering and planned to organize the 3rd International International Symposium on Sustainable Transport and Urban Mobility September 9, 2026 Page 2 Conference. This International Symposium is jointly organized with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MoID) and Eastern Asia Society of Transportation Studies (EASTS). The Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies (EASTS) is one of the region's most prominent platforms for transport research, policy dialogue, and professional exchange. The International Symposium on Sustainable Transport provides the ideal forum to present, deliberate, and build regional consensus around such transformative initiatives.