The World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism (WCAMT), the highest decision-making body for the Mobility pillar of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), held its last meeting of the year on December 6, 2023. The meeting, which was conducted online, highlighted the strong progress made by the FIA and its Members in advancing the agenda for a safer, more sustainable and accessible mobility and the goal to build a knowledge-led federation driven by its Members.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem opened the meeting by reviewing the advancements of the past months in the field of road safety and sustainable mobility as well as in Membership Services, with development of the FIA-led One Road Programme, and tourism, with breaking record CPD sales in 2023. “Many things have happened since we last met in June in Cordoba and they have contributed to advancing our transformation agenda and our goal to be the global voice of mobility,” he said.
He particularly highlighted the success of the two last Mobility regional events, the joint Sport and Mobility FIA American Congress hosted by the Automóvil Club Guatemala in August, and the FIA Region II Roundtable hosted by Ikatan Motor Indonesia in September, that fostered learning and experience sharing among FIA Mobility Members of Region II, III and IV. “With these events, we are truly empowering the Regions, strengthening the network at the regional level, and putting knowledge and exchange at the heart of everything we do,” he commented.
FIA Deputy President for Automobile Mobility and Tourism Tim Shearman also insisted on the importance of strengthening the community and noted: “For the first time we have had significant inter-regional participation and it’s a great template going forward to have this cross regional representation that really help share best practices and successes that are happening around our entire family.”
Mobility Advocacy Strategy progresses on road safety and sustainable mobility
The agenda then focused on the progress report on the 2023 Action Plan of the Mobility Advocacy Strategy. In the field of road safety, the first two-day Delft Road Safety Course was organised in Bali following the FIA Region II Roundtable and enabled to strengthen Club’s capacity in building road safety advocacy projects. Development of the FIA Road Safety Index, enabling organisations and companies to measure their safety footprint, also successfully continued at a time when the international road safety community is increasingly calling for road safety to be included in sustainability reporting.
In sustainable mobility, discussions focused on the projects of research that the FIA Mobility Division aims to conduct to help FIA Members navigate the landscape of clean mobility solutions and to contribute to building a knowledge-led federation. The FIA also presented the results of the first FIA Mobility Member Survey on Sustainable Mobility, which gathered the views and opinions of 87 FIA Clubs on various topics related to sustainable mobility, such as electric vehicles, hydrogen, biofuels, mobility as a service, and urban planning.
The WCAMT also approved the creation of a new Working Group on Sustainable Mobility, which will be chaired by Andrew McKellar, Secretary General for Automobile Mobility and Tourism. The Working Group will provide guidance and support to the FIA Mobility Division on the development and implementation of the FIA Sustainable Mobility Strategy and Action Plan.
Membership Services and Tourism report on achievements and challenges
The WCAMT also heard reports from the Membership Services and Tourism Departments, which showcased the achievements and challenges of the past year. The Membership Services Department presented the One Road Programme, which aims to provide FIA Clubs with a comprehensive set of tools and services to enhance their road assistance offer and to increase their membership base. The Programme, which was launched in June 2023, has already attracted 15 FIA Clubs and is expected to grow further in 2024.
The Tourism Department reported on the record sales of Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD) in 2023, which reached over 40,000 units, an increase of 25% compared to 2022. The Department also highlighted the efforts to digitalise the CPD process and to expand the network of CPD-issuing and -accepting countries. The WCAMT approved the admission of two new CPD-issuing organisations: the Automobile Association of Tanzania and the Automobile Association of Uganda.
The meeting concluded with a look ahead to the next year, which will mark the 120th anniversary of the FIA and the launch of the new FIA Mobility Strategy 2024-2028. The WCAMT expressed its confidence and enthusiasm for the future of the FIA and its Mobility Members, and thanked the FIA President and the FIA Mobility Division for their leadership and support.
