SESRIC, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) of the Republic of Indonesia, United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), organised a virtual Training Course on “Developing Public Transport in OIC Megacities” on 29-30 September 2025 within the framework of SESRIC’s Transportation Capacity Building Programme (Transport-CaB).

The training course aimed to provide relevant national representatives of the OIC countries a comprehensive understanding, and knowledge sharing on the critical factors that influence public transport development in OIC megacities, including urban infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and technological innovation. The training explored good practice and strategies to design effective, integrated public transport systems that reduce congestion, lower emission, adequate yet inclusive, and improve mobility as well as connectivity of urban residents.

A total of 110 experts and representatives from the relevant ministries and national institutions as well as academia in 35 OIC countries benefited from the course.

The training course covered the following:

• Overview on Developing Public Transportation System in the Middle East & West Asia (MEWA) Region by Dr. Reem ABUSAMRA, Coordinator of International Relations Department of UCLG-MEWA;
• National Planning and Development of Public Transport System in Megacities by Mr. Akhmad Fais FAUZI, Senior Transport Planner of BAPPENAS;
• Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) by Ms. Yelda REIS, International SUMP Consultant of UN-Habitat;
• Key Challenges in Financing Urban Mobility, Constraints to Attract Private Sector Investments and Innovative Solutions by Mr. Atiq AHMAD, Lead of Global Transport Specialist/Economist of IsDB;
• Amman’s Journey Towards Developed Public Transportation Services by Eng. Ola AL-KAFAWIN, Manager of Studies & Planning of Public Transport of Greater Amman Municipality, Jordan;
• Connected Cities Through Public Transport to Address Urbanization Challenges by Dr. Ahmed JABER, Senior Project Officer of the Association of Palestinian Authority (APLA), Palestine; and
• Jakarta Regional Planning & Operations for Public Transport Presentation Series:
  • Mass Public Transport Policy & Development Towards Jakarta as a Global City by Ms. Rika ZIKRIYYAH, Leader of Economic Subgroup, BAPPEDA Jakarta, Indonesia;
  • Transforming Urban Transport: MRT Operations as a Catalyst for Mega City Growth by Mr. Hendar KUSNANDAR, Railways Operation Division Head, PT. MRT Jakarta, Indonesia; and
  • TransJakarta’s Experience in Developing Integrated & Sustainable Public Transport by Mr. Daud JOSEPH, Director of Operation & Safety, PT. TransJakarta, Indonesia.

SESRIC launched the Transportation Capacity Building Programme (Transport-CaB) in 2021 with the aim of supporting and contributing to the efforts of the OIC member countries towards enhancing the institutional and human capacities of their national institutions in the field of transportation.

The presentations of the training course are available here.

For more information about SESRIC Capacity Building Programmes, please visit: https://www.sesric.org/tcd-cab.php.

Photos