PIARC is one of the premier organizations in the world that society looks to for leadership for matters related to road infrastructure and road transport. The strength of PIARC derives from the combined knowledge and experience of over 1000 technical experts from 124 member governments around the world, including High Income Countries (HICs), and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Association creates value by convening these technical experts in multiple fora to exchange ideas and develop technical solutions that are responsive to the needs of their respective countries. 

At present a large percentage of these experts originate from HICs who currently make up over 70% of the membership across Task Forces and Technical Committees (TFs/ TFs). Considering that HICs account for 43% of global road networks, it would suggest that the needs of 57% of global road networks are not adequately addressed by PIARC. This represents the road infrastructure and road transport that serves 80% of the world’s population! 

This presents a huge opportunity for PIARC to become the premier organization in this space if we are able to grow our footprint in LMICs. The President and leadership team (ExCom) are keen to seize the opportunity and have committed to supporting new initiatives that aim to increase the representation of LMICs in the activities of PIARC.

A number of initiatives are already in place to support increased participation of LMICs in the activities of PIARC. The International Seminars have been effective in involving experts from LMICs, as have been the introduction of online meetings and events as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some barriers are still hindering the increased participation from LMICs, including financial constraints to pay for travels meetings and events, and the often significant differences between the topics and technologies addressed in LMIC Member’s organisations and those addressed in TCs/TFs.  

In developing the Strategic Plan 2024-2027, the Strategic Planning Commission (SPC) has appointed a working group dedicated to LMICs. This working group will undertake broad consultations, the findings of which will be incorporated into the next Strategic Plan with the objective that PIARC shall become even more responsive to the needs of LMICs.  

Going forward, our greatest opportunity to further the worldwide exchange of knowledge on road infrastructure and road transport may lie in the decisions we take to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. These could be as simple as leveraging some of the new ways of doing business over the past two years to increase the value we are able to offer to all countries, especially LMICs.