First and foremost, we must thank the Organising Committee under the Chairmanship of Hubert Peigné for putting together such a comprehensive program, and their many sub-committees and teams for all the behind the scenes organisation that has made the Congress run so smoothly.

A great strength of our Association is that we work seamlessly and continuously across three major languages at our Congresses.

A special thank you goes to all the interpreters who have enabled us to listen to every one of sometimes six parallel sessions in fluent French, English and Spanish. Then let us not forget the army of technical people who operated the IT infrastructure that underpinned all the presentations.

An exhibition needs exhibitors, and I hope you will agree that this has been a really great exhibition, conveniently located, well laid out, colourful and informative, as well as conducive to establishing professional networks and business relationships that are so important to a successful congress. Our thanks go to all the exhibitors.

Thanks also to all those responsible for the technical tours, partners tours, social program and all the individual hospitality that has helped make this such an enjoyable week, and helped us to forge so many valuable relationships at both the individual and the organisational levels. I also wish to acknowledge the great support of our major Privileged sponsors and others who have been a tower of strength for us.

The heart of a congress is its formal sessions. I have been personally impressed and had good feedback about the quality of many papers and the value of much of the material presented. Excellence shone through in many sessions. For this we owe a debt of thanks to all the authors, presenters, session chairs, panellists and of course to the audience for providing stimulating discussion.

In my remarks at the Opening Session of this Congress last Monday, I made mention of the strong and growing relationship the World Road Association seeks with international organisations that have an interest in roads and road transport.

It is fitting before we close that I should also emphasise similar sentiments in regard to regional road associations. PIARC seeks to work very closely with these regional associations, sharing knowledge, information and experiences to mutual benefit.

Today, we have chosen one of these regional associations to make a short presentation on behalf of all regional associations that have links with PIARC.

The Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia (REAAA) has been strongly represented at this Congress, and I therefore have much pleasure in calling upon the President of REAAA, our esteemed colleague Dr Kyong-Soo Yoo, to come forward, and say a few brief words.

REAAA has organized numerous successful regional events and established meaningful relationships with other international professional organizations. One such initiative is the organizing of the Heads of Road Authorities meeting. We call this HORA meeting.

Due to the success of the inaugural HORA meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 2002 and the subsequent meetings in Cairns, Manila, Bangkok, Manila, and Gyeonggi-do, Korea, it has become an annual affair. The next HORA meeting is scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan in 2008.

REAAA and PIARC had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 12th June 2001 to strengthen bilateral relationship and cooperation. PIARC can expect strong support from REAAA for its events and programmes.

This Congress in Paris is no exception. A large number of REAAA Governing Council members and other REAAA members are among the delegates. Delegates from Korea are numbered at 50, Malaysia 80, Australia 80, Japan 150, and so forth.

We shall continue supporting PIARC and we hope PIARC will support REAAA in our future activities.

Lastly, I am very pleased to announce that the 13th REAAA conference will be held in Incheon City, Korea in September 2009. I'd like to have a pleasure to invite you all to the memorable and enjoyable event.

Once again, I congratulate and thank the organizers of the 23rd World Road Congress.

Thank you!

COLIN JORDAN

Thank you very much, Dr Kyong-Soo Yoo. We in PIARC are greatly encouraged by the strong links we have with many regional associations and particularly by the growing spirit of cooperation between all regional organizations including REAAA and PIARC.

And now, as we draw to a close at this Congress, we must look to the future:In celebrating its Centenary, the World Road Association has rightly reflected at this Congress on its history and the history of roads and road transport over the last 100 years, and I think this has helped us see more clearly the big challenges that lie ahead.

For example, we have learnt that sustainable transport has in reality always been an issue for road professionals and road administrations, although not always expressed in these words. What is different now is that it sits in the context of climate change and global warming. This adds a new and different dimension to issues, with many of which we are not altogether unfamiliar.

We have also learnt that, compared to 100 or even 50 years ago, our clients, the road users, are now informed and not to be ignored. Thus, as road administrators, we must engage with our clients on a scale not previously experienced as we develop and deliver transport solutions.

We have had vividly illustrated the challenges faced by us all in meeting the rapidly growing and changing freight task as world trade barriers are dismantled. As a consequence, we are faced not only with issues of cost, efficiency and access, but also congestion and, importantly, safety and sustainability.

Finally, in regard to safety, we have learnt that, while road safety continues to improve in some parts of the world, it is heading to become the no. 1 public health issue in much of the rest of the world. This presents a challenge on an unprecedented scale that we simply must address in a coordinated and cooperative manner.

As you have just seen from the new PIARC Strategic Plan so well outlined by my colleagues, Ginny Clarke and Jean-Francois Corté, a few minutes ago, PIARC intends to pick up these challenges. However, PIARC's success in addressing them will depend in large measure on the continuing commitment, good will, involvement and hard work of all its members.

For me and my colleagues on the current Executive Committee we have a little over one year ahead of us. This will be a year very much preparing for the next cycle, as a result of this years PIARC Council meeting and this Congress, the main elements are there to be put in place, The Quebec winter congress, the next world congress in Mexico, the new Strategic Plan will be followed by the nomination of Technical Committee members in January and February and the first formal meetings of Committees in April: We plan to have our regional seminar program under way in the second half of next year I think you will agree we have a very busy 12 months ahead of us prior to the Council's election of a new Executive to take over from us in Morocco next year..

I asked at the time of the opening of our Congress that you, the members and the attendees breathe life into our Congress by your active and lively participation in all its activities formal and informal, professional and social. You have certainly done all of that, the spirit and atmosphere of cooperation, friendship and enjoyment has been wonderful. I now ask that you continue the same tremendous support to PIARC over the next four years as it takes it's very important programs forward.

Finally to close, but I cannot do so without expressing our deep appreciation to our French hosts, headed by our esteemed French First Delegate, Patrice Parisé, for their vision and leadership in celebrating PIARC's centenary with this great congress in Paris; and also to Jean-Francois Corté and all his staff in the PIARC General Secretariat for their extraordinary hard work, dogged persistence, good will and sound advice.

I ask them both to join me on stage now for the end of our Congress.

And with that, I wish you all a safe journey home; I look forward to seeing you in Mexico in four year's time; and I now declare this 23^rd World Road Congress formally closed.