On April 12, the United Nations (UN) declared June 3 World Bicycle Day by adopting a resolution introduced by H.E. Aksoltan Ataeva, Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the UN. On Tuesday, her Swiss counterpart, H.E. Atageldi Haljanov, visited the UCI offices to talk to David Lappartient about future collaboration for mass participation as well as the development of cycling in Turkmenistan. Naturally, the World Bicycle Day celebration on June 3 was the centre of discussions.
The UCI President outlined the work that the UCI has carried out around cycling for all and applauded the vision and the hard work of all those behind the initiative to offer the “bicycle” its special and well-deserved day on June 3. The draft resolution for World Bicycle Day, co-sponsored by 56 countries, was adopted by a consensus of 193-member states during the 72nd Regular Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City on April 12.
During his meeting on Tuesday with the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the UN’s Geneva Office, David Lappartient thanked not only the United Nations and the authorities from Turkmenistan for their leadership role in this project, but also Leszek Sibilski, Professor of Sociology at Montgomery College, Maryland (US) and his students who campaigned effectively and successfully for #June3WorldBicycleDay.
The UCI is proud of the work it has carried out so far, with the precious collaboration of its 190 National Federations and five Continental Confederations, to promote cycling around the world. Initiatives implemented by the UCI include:
Under the leadership of UCI President David Lappartient, the Federation’s objective is to create a stronger network of cities that can benefit from exchanges on best practices in cycling promotion, take part in knowledge sharing forums, and develop closer partnerships with the UCI to bring international exposure to their initiatives.
As stated in the UCI President’s Agenda 2022, one of the UCI’s goals is to enhance the level of information provided to National Cycling Federations and the wider cycling community, to support them in the development of cycling at all levels and building safe cycling infrastructures.
The UCI has a dedicated section within its Sport Department dealing exclusively with the promotion of urban and everyday cycling alongside elite competitions, and for this we collaborate with numerous international organisations, such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) PeopleForBikes, World Bicycle Relief and the European Cyclists’ Federation, among many others. At the same time, the UCI has been working very closely with several UN agencies to further promote the link between cycling and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With World Bicycle Day, this link will be even stronger.
“The UCI puts a lot of emphasis on Cycling for All, and for this we are fortunate to have the collaboration of numerous organisations worldwide,” said UCI President David Lappartient. “World Bicycle Day will further highlight the beauty of the bicycle, strengthening our continued work to promote cycling at all levels and all areas of the world.”