28 June 2025
At the Global Transport Connectivity Forum 2025, held in Istanbul on 27–28 July, the Blue Dot Network (BDN) was showcased as a powerful mechanism for unlocking investment in sustainable, cross-border transport infrastructure.
The forum brought together policymakers, development banks, private investors, and technical experts to explore new strategies for advancing resilient connectivity in a rapidly evolving global landscape. Among the key speakers was Edwin Lau, Head of the BDN Secretariat, who joined a panel discussion alongside representatives from the Ministry of Transport of Singapore, the Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye, and the Director General of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The panel explored how independent, OECD-hosted certification can serve as a foundation for smarter, bankable, and climate-conscious corridor development.
BDN certification offers more than a label: it provides a globally trusted assurance of quality, embedding regulatory coordination, transparent cost-sharing, ESG safeguards, digital readiness, and fair dispute resolution. In the context of large-scale transport corridors, where multiple governments, contractors, and financiers must align, BDN serves as a common language of trust, helping accelerate delivery while reducing risk.
The panel also highlighted the growing importance of digital infrastructure integration and climate resilience in future-ready corridors, areas where BDN’s rigorous screening and design standards can play a transformative role.
The forum also celebrated recent milestones, notably the certification of BDN’s fourth project, the East Africa Marine Transport project, on 20 June 2025. The project, based on Lake Victoria, is a roll-on/roll-off ferry service that dramatically shortens cross-border transport times while reducing emissions. Early adopters such as the Eurasia Tunnel in Türkiye and the East Africa Marine Transport project are already demonstrating the practical benefits of certification, from faster delivery and better coordination to enhanced environmental and social safeguards.
Hosted with the support of the Türkiye Ministry of Transport & Infrastructure, the World Bank, and other global partners, the forum underscored the growing demand for quality infrastructure standards to guide the next generation of global connectivity.
As infrastructure investment continues to scale globally, BDN is increasingly positioned to serve as the “trust mark” that ensures corridor projects are not only delivered, but delivered well.