At the ad hoc meeting of the OSJD Committee members, held on 24 October 2022 in the OSJD Committee in a hybrid format, a large number of documents were considered, which are subject matters of the OSJD Ministerial Conference level which adopts the decisions on them.

Due to the lack of quorum, session L of the OSJD Ministerial Conference did not take place in 2022. In order to ensure the functioning of the Organisation, the meeting considered it expedient to use the procedure provided for by paragraph 2 of Article IV of the OSJD Committee Regulations for the adoption by the OSJD Ministers Conference of the necessary decisions.

In this regard, the meeting considered and agreed on the following issues:

- on the membership of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in the OSJD;

- Report on the OSJD Activities for 2021;

- Report of the OSJD Auditing Commission for 2021;

- outcomes of work of the OSJD Commission on Transport Policy and Development Strategy for 2021;

- outcomes of work of the OSJD Commission on Transport Law for 2021;

- information from the OSJD Committee on the progress of work carried out under the UNECE auspices “Towards a unified railway law in the pan-European region and in the Eurasian transport corridors”;

- progress of work of the AWG on vocational education/training in the field of railway transport;

- OSJD Work Programme for 2023 and subsequent years;

- OSJD Committee Budget (final – for 2022, preliminary – for 2023);

- Draft provisional agenda for the session L of the OSJD Ministerial Conference.

In accordance with the procedure stipulated by paragraph 2 of Article IV of the OSJD Committee Regulations, the meeting submitted the agreed solutions for the approval by the members of the OSJD Ministerial Conference.

Taking into account the application of the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on the admission to the OSJD membership and on the accession to the SMPS and SMGS Agreements, the Ministerial Conference was invited to consider the decision to accept the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic as a member of the OSJD and on its accession to these agreements as from 1 January 2023.

Moreover, the Ministerial Conference was also invited to consider the implementation of the OSJD Programme and work plans for 2021 and approve the OSJD Work Programme for 2023 and subsequent years, the OSJD Committee Budget (preliminary for 2023 and final for 2022), the Report on OSJD Activities for 2021, the Report of the OSJD Auditing Commission for 2021, the report on the progress of work of the AWG on vocational education/training in the field of railway transport for March 2021 – July 2022, as well as to approve the outcomes of the activities of the OSJD Commission on Transport Policy and Development Strategy and the OSJD Commission on Transport Law for 2021 with the continuation of work aimed at improving and updating the SMPS and SMGS Agreements and Service Instructions as to them, Annex 6 “Guidelines for the CIM/SMGS consignment note” to the SMGS within the framework of the project “CIM/SMGS Transport and Legal Harmonisation” and in other areas of activities.

The Ministerial Conference was invited to take into account the information on the entry into force as from 1 May 2022 of the amendments and additions to the SMPS Agreement and to the SI to SMPS, as well as from 1 July 2022 – amendments and additions to the SMGS Agreement.

The following issues have been proposed to be included into the provisional agenda of session L of the OSJD Ministerial Conference:

1. Report on the OSJD Activities for 2022;

2. Report of the OSJD Auditing Commission for 2022;

3. Outcomes of work of the OSJD Commission on Transport Policy and Development Strategy for 2022;

4. Outcomes of work of the OSJD Commission on Transport Law for 2022;

5. Progress of work of the AWG on vocational education/training in the field of rail transport;

6. OSJD Work Programme for 2024 and sub- sequent years;

7. Status of payment of membership fees;

8. OSJD Committee Budget (final – for 2023, preliminary – for 2024);

9. Distribution of governing posts at the OSJD Committee, chairmen/chairpersons and specialists at the OSJD working bodies;

10. Appointment of the OSJD Committee governing officials;

11. Draft provisional agenda, venue and date of session LI of the OSJD Ministerial Conference.

According to the decision of session XLVII of the OSJD Ministerial Conference (Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan, 2019), in 2023 session L of the OSJD Ministerial Conference is scheduled to be held in the Republic of Korea and, at the kind invitation of the organisers, it is be organised in the period from 13 till 16 June 2023. The OSJD Committee, for its part, will make every possible effort to contribute to the successful organisation of session L of the OSJD Ministerial Conference in an intramural format in the Republic of Korea during this period.