SESRIC participated in the 25^th Meeting of the COMCEC Transport and Communications Working Group, held on 17-18 September 2024 in Ankara, Türkiye, under the theme “Enhancing and Sustaining Rural Accessibility in the OIC Member Countries”. The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministries of Transport and Communications, other national authorities of the OIC countries, as well as international organisations.

The session commenced with a presentation on the outlook of transport and communications in the OIC countries by the COMCEC Coordination Office. It continued with a series of discussions and presentations on the draft research report on “Enhancing and Sustaining Rural Accessibility in the OIC Member Countries,” and the main findings of selected case country analysis and lessons learned by Hisartech Consultancy. Subsequently, representatives from the member countries shared their diverse experiences on the enhancement of rural accessibility, complimented by an international perspective from UNESCAP.

The deliberations highlighted that rural accessibility extends beyond roads to encompass education, health, water, and other essential services. Participants underlined that inadequate transport infrastructure often leads to economic isolation and hampers inclusive development. The meeting further underlined the importance of capacity building and training programmes to strengthen both human and institutional capacity.

The two-day meeting concluded with policy debate among participating delegates focusing on the formulation of policy recommendations for the 41^st COMCEC Ministerial Session.

For more information on SESERIC’s Transportation Capacity Building Programme (Transport-CaB), please visit: https://www.sesric.org/transport-cab.php.