German International Cooperation (GIZ) says it expects to complete its training project for freight transport and logistics in dangerous goods in more than 80 companies in five Asean countries by the end of this year.
With financing from the EU, the “Sustainable Freight and Logistics in the Greater Mekong Sub-region” project is aimed to ensure consistency of regulatory systems for the transportation of dangerous goods in every country in the region.
The project has been in place since February 2016 and will end in January 2019.
GIZ is supporting relevant government authorities, associations and SMEs in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam (CLMV) and Thailand.
Thailand was the first country in the Asean region to implement the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) following a gas explosion on Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok in September 1990, when a liquid petroleum gas tanker truck crashed on the expressway exit.
GIZ spent two years on ADR translation and coordination with each ministry and this year started the training.
Wilasinee Poonuchaphai, project co-director of GIZ Thailand said that so far the organisation has trained 15 entrepreneurs in Vietnam, 40 in Thailand and 20 in Myanmar. The rest of the training will focus on Lao PDR and Cambodia, she added.
“This is the starting point and why we have helped support our neighbouring countries in applying rules and regulations in accordance with the ADR,” she said.
During GIZ’s recent training in Ho Chi Minh, Nguyen Cong Bang, Deputy Director-General of the Transport Department, Ministry of Transport, said through the training, enforcement authorities have been given the opportunity to learn from and share experiences with other countries like Thailand and Myanmar.
“In the future, we will focus on improvement of the road infrastructure (such as the expressway) to connect with China in the North, and with Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand and Cambodia in the west, in order to develop the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) road network and turn it into an economic corridor,” he added.
