Membership

Rules of Engagement: Global Knowledge

How to help international members engage across borders.

UITP, the International Association of Public Transport, has 1,400 member organizations in 96 countries, including public transport authorities and operators, policy decision makers, research institutes, and suppliers.

Facilitating knowledge sharing among members in this multicultural context raises challenges such as the diversity of member types by size, public versus private scope, and technological prowess; engaging the right experts in large, global organizations; and communicating among UITP’s four official languages and other regional languages.

To get members excited about engaging with each other, here are tips based on UITP’s experience:

Involve as many people as possible in commissions, working groups, and other volunteer bodies.

Offer members opportunities to speak about their own work at events and recognize their achievements.

Target communications based on themes and regions.

Offer translation at events and even in some committee meetings.

We put these ideas into action to help the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority find solutions:

We involved RTA in three UITP committees, which offered opportunities to benchmark performance with other members, gain peer advice, carry out site visits, and contribute to technical surveys.

We organized events in Dubai to showcase RTA projects and attract interest within Dubai’s transportation market.

We positioned Dubai as a development model for the region by establishing the UITP Middle East and North Africa Centre for Transport Excellence and a related regional event.

With a headquarters in Brussels and 15 offices on six continents, UITP strives to embody the global diversity of its membership to ensure robust collaboration across borders.

 

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Mohamed Mezghani

By Mohamed Mezghani

Mohamed Mezghani is deputy secretary general at the International Association of Public Transport and an ambassador for the Dubai Association Centre. MORE

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