The United Nations is going to hold the first ever global conference on sustainable transport on Nov. 26-27 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, said Wu Hongbo, UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs on Friday.

Wu told reporters here that the conference will be convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and it will bring together governments, the UN system and other international organizations, the private sector as well as the civil society to determine a new direction for global transport.

"This first ever United Nations conference dedicated to the sustainable transport reflects the growing awareness of the crucial role that sustainable transport plays in advancing sustainable development and climate change actions," he said.

According to Wu, the two-day conference will highlight discussions on topics including rural and urban transport, multi-model transport, public transport, road safety as well as the links of the sustainable transport to climate change and energy,.

Statistics show that at present, transport sector is responsible for approximately 23 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, and 3.5 million premature deaths result from outdoor air pollution annually.