Transportation infrastructure safety and the identification of cargo origin and destination in the Americas are the main focus of the themes to be dealt during the international transportation forum that will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 11-13, 2004. The Seventh Executive Committee Meeting of the Western Hemisphere Transport Initiative (WHTI), which congregates the 34 countries of the Summit of Americas (except Cuba), will be discussing the adaptation of the countries to international safety requirements in ports, air and shipping security, the prevention to natural disasters and environmental issues involving the transportation systems.

The Ministry of Transport of Brazil will be presenting its model of a transportation matrix, on the basis of a technology developed jointly with Canada, capable of serving as a subsidy to the creation of a cargo origin/destination matrix in the whole continent. This enables the countries to identify the cargo handling and transportation routes in the Americas, so as to attract joint investments in infrastructure, thus reducing freight costs.

Since October 2002 Brazil has been acting as the WHTI Executive Committee chair, supported by the United States and Costa Rica as co-chairs. The event will count on the attendance of experts from the American Continent’s countries, in addition to the participation of the Minister of Public Works of Ecuador, the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing of Honduras and the Vice-Minister of Transport of Costa Rica.

The WHTI, created in 1996, is a technical, cooperating forum that congregates ministers and authorities responsible for transportation from the member countries of the Summit of Americas. The main WHTI objective is to explore joint solutions for the transportation development in the Continent, by assuring favorable conditions to the socio-economic and tourism growth in the region. Three international organizations are also members of WHTI: the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS).

The last ministerial meeting, held in Mexico in May 2003, under the chairmanship of Brazil, included in the WHTI agenda the need for negotiating with IMF the exclusion of infrastructure investments of the Federal Government in the calculation of its primary surplus.

VII EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING, February 11 – 13, 2004. Crowne Plaza Hotel - São Paulo, SP - Brasil.

Coordination of Communications - Secretariat-General, Ministry of Transport

Nilza Arakaki

nilza.arakaki@transportes.gov.br

+55 (61) 311-7520/7090

www.transportes.gov.br

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