The 193 members of the UN have this week unanimously adopted a resolution that officially states the bicycle is a vital tool to combat climate change. Calling on member states to “integrate the bicycle into public transportation, in urban and rural settings in developing and developed countries.
As noted in a press release detailing events from the most recent UN General Assembly meeting, Turkmenistan’s representative noted that
…the bicycle has been a major mode of transportation for 140 years and offers health benefits, conveinece and accessabilty for millions of people as well as supporting the reduction of greenhouse gasses.”
Turkmenistan’s representative
The representative also noted that cycling is still seen as a sport rather than a viable mode of transport in many parts of the world, something that they said must change.
The non-binding resolution calls on member states to “give special attention to cycling in cross-cutting development strategies, including bicycle-sharing services,” with a particular emphasis on bike-sharing as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions in urban environments.
The European Cyclists’ Federation said that although the resolution is non-binding, “it is an important step towards the recognition of cycling as an important mode of transport and a positive step forward from the COP26 Transport Declaration Glasgow in November 2021.”
Turkmenistan’s outgoing president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has long been known as a huge fan of cycling, decreeing a whole month of cycling for his country back in 2013 and holding huge processions annually to coincide with World Bicycle Day.
64-year-old Berdimuhamedov, who has been president of the landlocked Central Asian nation since 2007, has technically relinquished power to his son Serdar today. Although Berdimuhamedov Sr aimed to be less totalitarian than his predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov when taking office – such as only making citizens say a sacred oath that states their tongue will shrivel if they speak ill of the president.
Is the UN’s resolution for the greater good, or should we look upon anything proposed by this brutal regime with suspicion? We’ll just hope that if the day ever comes when every person in the UK owns a bike, it won’t be because they were forced to by an autocratic leader who is the subject of an ostentatious personality cult…
Let us know your thoughts 💬
