International Railways Association Board Meeting was Held

The International Railways Association (UIC) Regional Board Presidents, Executive Board and 97th General Assembly Meetings were held as a video conference at TCDD General Directorate Meeting Hall on 15-16 December 2020.

TCDD General Manager, UIC Vice President and RAME President Ali İhsan Uygun, UIC General Manager François Davenne, UIC President Gianluigi Castelli, TCDD officials and more than a hundred UIC officials attended the meetings.

Development of interregional cooperation was discussed at the UIC Regional Board Chairs Meeting.

At the meeting of UIC Regional Board Chairs, the idea presented by UIC on the development of interregional cooperation was discussed as a concept. The efforts of the members to develop this idea were evaluated among the regions in February-March 2021, and the concrete plan, which was also revealed at the next General Assembly meeting scheduled to take place in July 2021, was requested.

While UIC General Manager and UIC President shared their information on the activities carried out during the year and how much of the annual targets have been achieved, Regional Board Chairs were asked to evaluate the annual performance of UIC General Manager François Davenne. In line with the information provided, the Heads of the Regional Boards discussed and agreed upon the bonus issue to be given to the UIC General Manager.

TCDD General Manager Ali İhsan Uygun's tenure as UIC Vice President was extended at the UIC Executive Board Meeting.

The UIC Executive Board Meeting was again held on December 15, 2020, between 15.30-17.45. At this meeting, the Board approved the extension of the powers of UIC President Gianluigi Castelli and UIC Vice President Ali İhsan Uygun for a period of 2021 months until the General Assembly to be held in mid-6. UIC General Manager and President gave information about the activities that were held during the year and were canceled or postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, how much of the projected annual targets have been achieved, trends and challenges for 2021, developments in standardization and 2021 targets and budget. With the help of a consultant undertaken by the UIC General Manager, information was given about the internal organizational audit of UIC support services, starting with finance, accounting and project management, human resources management, communication and extending to subsidiaries. Information was also given on the issues of enhancing interregional cooperation and evaluating the performance of the General Manager, which were discussed at the meeting of the Regional Boards.

Issues discussed and agreed at the UIC 97th General Assembly Meeting, Regional Board and Executive Board meetings were conveyed and approved.

UIC 97th General Assembly Meeting was held on December 16, 2020, again as a video conference. At the meeting, UIC Chairman Gianluigi Castelli conveyed the issues discussed and agreed at the meetings of the Regional Boards and Executive Board and approved them in the General Assembly. UIC General Manager François Davenne summarized the activities carried out in 2020 and talked about the 2021 expectations. Issues such as appointments and job descriptions submitted for approval were approved by the General Assembly.

Congresses etc. canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The budget deficit is created due to events or activities carried out as video conferences, but this deficit is at a manageable level thanks to the emergency plan developed at the beginning of the pandemic process, and that memoranda of understanding continue to be signed in order to develop bilateral and multilateral relations with various institutions and organizations within the scope of the targets to be achieved every year. information was transferred. Detailed information was given about the rapidly ongoing standardization studies, which are of great importance in the integration of Research and Development activities. Information was shared about the new sustainability rating tool developed to be available to members, the projects completed and ongoing during the year, the certificates to be renewed, and the project initiatives related to digitalization.

An informative presentation summarizing the developments in the region was made on behalf of the Middle East Regional Board (RAME), chaired by TCDD General Manager Ali İhsan Uygun, within the UIC, which consists of 6 regional boards. In the presentation, information was given about Covid-19 activities carried out especially within the scope of RAME, the "Railway Safety and Level Crossings" video conference held on 30 November 2020, the "Freight Transport Corridors" video conference held on October 14, 2020 and other activities.