Does the United Nations Need a Secretary of Transport?
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 05.15.07 | 3:50 PM ET
Photo by Tyler Brûlé makes a plea for one in the International Herald Tribune, and he’s convincing. “It could be argued that the secretary general has better, more important things to be getting on with than worry about how people get from A to B and in what shape,” Brûlé writes. “I would argue that for a sector worth so much money, that is ultimately responsible for the patterns of human migration and is increasingly in the spotlight for the mistreatment of those it carries over land, sea and through the air, it’s not only necessary but urgent.”
He continues:
Other organizations might want to take on this role but I think the secretary general of the United Nations would score points by reintroducing the notion of humanity as a key component to global travel. For the developed world this means establishing policies to help people travel more efficiently (moving short- and medium-haul travel to rail rather than air). For the developing world, it’s about improving safety standards and conditions.
It could be difficult for a U.N. Secretary of Transport to be effective, certainly, but with issues such as the environmental impact of travel, passengers’ rights and even immigration on the table, he or she would certainly have an opportunity to make an impact.
Email to friend
Twitter
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! Buzz
Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
