The collection of the 2025 Global Sustainable Transport Best Practices, which includes 22 cases from 20 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, was officially launched on Wednesday at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York. The 22 cases span multiple aspects of sustainability, including green infrastructure, low-carbon technology, digital-smart upgrades and public-transit modernization.
The event also held in-depth talks on rolling out the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026-2035).
The celebrated best practices from 2025 include innovative cases from countries like China, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia and international organizations such as the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and the United Nations Development Programme.
"You cannot have sustainable development without sustainable transportation. So the connectivity is a driver of economy and sustainable economy, but also sustainable and long-term growth," Abdoul Salam Bello, chief of the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, speaking after attending the event.
In 2023, the UN General Assembly declared the first ever United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport to start in 2026, and started to collect sustainable transport practices worldwide.
The United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport is expected to further raise awareness of transport's crucial role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, and to gather and rally new and replicable solutions to advance sustainable transport globally.
UN highlights best practices around globe in preparation for "Decade of Sustainable Transport"
The island-wide special customs operations in China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) have boosted trade and industrial development, said an official of the Ministry of Finance on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Wu Jingfang, deputy head of the Tariff Department of the Ministry of Finance, briefed the reporters on results of the special customs operations in Hainan.
"Imported zero-tariff goods are exempt from import duties, value-added tax, and consumption tax, significantly reducing import costs for businesses and promoting greater liberalization and facilitation of trade in goods. Since the launch of island-wide special customs operations [on Dec. 18 last year], the value of imported zero-tariff goods reached 857 million yuan by January 27, a year-on-year increase of 2.43 times, encompassing various industries including chemicals, mineral product manufacturing, and medical care. Tariff exemptions totaled 129 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2 times. Over 10,000 enterprises applied for enjoying benefits from the zero-tariff policy, and more than 5,700 new foreign trade enterprises completed registration in Hainan. Looking ahead, there is still significant potential for further expanding the import of zero-tariff goods," said Wu.
On Dec. 18, 2025, China launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan FTP, the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage, and introducing more business-friendly measures.
Officials describe the special customs system as offering "freer access at the first line," referring to freer trade between Hainan and areas outside China's customs borders, and "regulated access at the second line," which involves applying standard customs controls for goods moving from Hainan to the mainland.
The share of zero-tariff products in the Hainan FTP has been raised from 21 to 74 percent, expanding the list of related items from 1,900 to over 6,600.
Zero-tariff goods processed in Hainan may be sold to the mainland duty-free if their local processing generated an added value of 30 percent or more.
Hainan's special customs operations boost trade, industrial development: official
