Word from the President of PIARC

It is my pleasure to invite you to the PIARC XXVIIth World Road Congress that will take place in Prague, Czech Republic. The Congress will take place at the Convention Centre from 2–6 October 2023.

The theme of the Congress is “Prague 2023 – Together on the road again”. An apt theme given that the pandemic has kept us apart for far too long.

Development and economic growth are requirements for countries to prosper. However, the pandemic and the challenges posed by having to consider resilience in the supply and maintenance of road infrastructure taught us to move past the pragmatism of this approach. Our approach should encompass social goals, work toward reducing poverty, and promote innovation that leads to the improvement of the quality of life. Road infrastructure, as a community asset, has shown itself through the years to be a powerful tool in improving the quality of life and promoting social cohesion. However, ensuring sustainability thereof requires integrated, participating, and inclusive processes to achieve the desired results.

It is imperative that developed and developing countries alike join hands and take responsibility for our shared goals of sustainable development and push back the frontiers of poverty. Road infrastructure has always played a pivotal role in enabling socio-economic development of societies.

PIARC since its inception has taken the lead in gathering the world road community at its Congresses to share knowledge, experiences, and cement bonds between its diverse group of members. Although the Strategic Plan directs and guides the activities of PIARC during a given cycle, its main objective of international cooperation and technology transfer has always been retained.

During this cycle, the Strategic Plan has, inter alia, comprises four themes, namely:

• Road Administration;
• Mobility;
• Resilient Infrastructure; and
• Safety and Sustainability.

The Congress programme features the presentation of the results of the work undertaken by PIARC’s 24 Committees and Task Forces, as well as several specialized sessions and workshops dealing with topics of current and future interest and a large exhibition in which road administrations, equipment and service providers, consultants and road-related organizations will be present. Ministers will be present to share their views on the status and future of roads and road transport.

We also invite experts from around the world, researchers as well as practitioners, to submit articles in answer to our International Call for Papers and to present their views on the technical, social, and  economic best practices related to the road sector.

This World Road Congress will see a return to an in-person event, and it will thus offer all road professionals a unique opportunity to discuss information on current trends and challenges for roads and road transportation all over the world.

On behalf of PIARC, I express my sincere gratitude to the Government of the Czech Republic for their commitment to host and organize the Congress and their efforts to ensure that the event is a great success.
I invite you to mark this event on your agenda and look forward to meeting you in Prague in 2023.

Nazir Alli
PIARC President