While the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) do not specifically make reference to transportation issues, transportation projects and programs have an enormous impact on both the poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability goals. Transportation issues are dealt with directly in Agenda 21, the Global Plan of Action for Habitat II, and the proceedings of the Commission for Sustainable Development #9, and in the official policies of the development banks. The MDGs do not directly address transport issues because they accept the legitimacy of these earlier UN agreements.

This document first reviews how the United Nations process has addressed transportation in the past. It then reviews how the MDGs fits into this process. The document then critiques the transport statements made in the Interim Report of Task Force One on Poverty and Economic Development.