The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the transport system in an unprecedented way and compelled us to go back and re-think priorities. Some countries and cities have managed the crisis with more resilience, others are seizing the opportunity to build their systems better. The session will coalesce the findings of several research projects initiated on the back of the COVID response and recovery programme by the FCDO funded High Volume Transport Applied Research (HVT) and other research. It draws on the common strands to map a way forward to build transport systems that are resilient to future pandemics and climate change shocks and keeps economies moving. It will expose some of the key findings on what is needed for more equitable and transport that leaves no one behind particularly in times of distress.

Organised in the form of a panel discussion with a strong focus on LMICs, the session will endeavour to answer the following questions:

• What can we learn from how transport systems responded to the pandemic, especially in LMICs? 
• How do we build more resilient transport for the future? 
• How do we keep people and economies moving whatever the challenges and leaving no one behind? 
• What kind of reforms are needed to deliver more equitable and resilient urban transport? 
• How to turn policy into action? 

Panelists 

• Bernard Obika, Team Leader, HVT programme
• Ms. Anne Joselin, Infrastructure Advisor, Research and Evidence Directorate, FCDO
• M. Anouar Benazzouz, President, IRF
• Nancy Vandycke, Manager, Sum4All
• Tom Fleming, Associate, ITP 
• Bronwen Thornton, CEO, Walk 21
• Rutul Joshi, Associate Professor, CEPT University

Moderated by Susanna Zammataro, Director General, IRF