The Asian Highway (AH) project is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and the United Nations ESCAP to improve the highway systems in Asia. It is one of the three pillars of Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project, endorsed by the ESCAP commission at its forty-eighth session in 1992, comprising Asian Highway, Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) and facilitation of land transport projects. The AH project was initiated by the United Nations in 1959 with the aim of promoting the development of international road transport in the region. During the first phase of the project (1960-1970) considerable progress was achieved, however, progress slowed down when financial assistance was suspended in 1975.

ESCAP has conducted several projects in cooperation with AH member countries step by step after the endorsement of ALTID in 1992.

The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network (IGA) was adopted on November 18, 2003, by the Intergovernmental Meeting; the IGA includes Annex I, which identifies 55 AH routes among 32 member countries totalling approximately 140,000 km, and Annex II "Classification and Design Standards". During the 60th session of the ESCAP Commission at Shanghai, China, in April 2004, the IGA treaty was signed by 23 countries.

The route is proposed to extend from Tokyo to Istanbul and pass through both Koreas, China and other countries in Southeast, Central and South Asia.

The corridor is expected to improve trade links between East Asian countries, India and Russia.

To complete the route, existing roads will be upgraded and new roads constructed to link the network. A budget and timeline for construction is to be announced in 2006.

AH network (km):

• Afghanistan 4,247;
• Armenia 958;
• Azerbaijan 1,442;
• Bangladesh 1,804;
• Bhutan 1;
• Cambodia 1,339;
• China 25,579;
• Democratic People's Republic of Korea 1,320;
• Georgia 1,154;
• India 11,432;
• Indonesia 3,989;
• Islamic Republic of Iran 11,152;
• Japan 1,200;
• Kazakhstan 13,189;
• Kyrgyzstan 1,695;
• Lao PDR 2,297;
• Malaysia 1,595;
• Mongolia 4,286;
• Myanmar 3,003;
• Nepal 1,321;
• Pakistan 5,377;
• Philippines 3,517;
• Republic of Korea 907;
• Russian Federation 16,869;
• Singapore 19;
• Sri Lanka 650;
• Tajikistan 1,925;
• Thailand 5,112;
• Turkey 5,254;
• Turkmenistan 2,204;
• Uzbekistan 2,966;
• Viet Nam 2,678.

Total 140,479 km

See also

• Asian Highway Network

External link

• The project homepage (http://www.unescap.org/tctd/ah/index.htm)
• Asia signs up to 'new Silk Road' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3660467.stm) BBC News report (April 26, 2004)
• UNESCAP press release announcing treaty (http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2004/apr/g09.asp)