UN-Habitat and The Korea Transport Institute (KOTI) on Tuesday signed a Partnership Agreement which aims at supporting cities in developing sustainable urban transport systems with a focus on public transport.

The UN-Habitat Deputy Executive Director Dr. Aisa Kacyira Kirabo in her speech during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) said that "cities in many developing countries are getting choked. Traffic congestion in urban areas is leading to increased fuel consumption and loss of productive time."

Mr. ChoongYeol (Peter) Ye, Vice President for Planning & Administration, KOTI emphasized that the partnership would go a long way in offering expertise to modernise urban transport systems in many UN-Habitat partner cities.

Urbanisation presents an enormous opportunity for developing countries. Rapid motorisation and traffic congestion has become major challenge for many cities. Better public transport including cost-effective and innovative options like Bus Rapid Transit integrated with walking and cycling facilities provide more sustainable options.

Both UN-Habitat and KOTI plan to advocate strongly for the UN-Habitat mandate in addressing today's urban issues through exchange of information for identifying areas of practical cooperation, plans of operations and joint implementation plans.