Alliance Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety: Newsletter

GET READY FOR SWEDEN 2020 With the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety fast approaching, now is the time for you to push for your ministers to attend: engage with your national government contacts, explain to them why the conference is so important and brief them on the road safety situation in your country: the challenges, the successes, and what can be done to address the gaps. Find more information about the conference, including frequently asked questions and a toolkit of resources from Alliance member Humanity & Inclusion (HI) to help you start a conversation with your ministers and their offices HERE. Read more about the events being held by the Alliance and its members on the eve of the conference HERE.

LEARN IN SENEGAL This month, the Alliance and IRF Geneva held the second Learn, Examine, Act, Replicate Network (LEARN) workshop in Dakar, Senegal. Co-ordinated by our local partner LASER International, the session brought together representatives from government, the private sector, NGOs, academia, media and police. The workshop culminated in an action plan to assess risk, improve conditions, and advocate for greater road safety around schools — an urgent issue in Senegal. Additionally, a multi-stakeholder road safety partnership was created to improve road safety policy and action and demonstrate how partnerships for road safety can bring quicker wins. Read more HERE.

ROUND THE WORLD ROUNDTABLE: JAIPUR, INDIA This month saw another in the series of Round the World Roundtables held by Alliance member NGOs. The purpose of the roundtables is to gain the commitment of decision makers for road safety actions. Muskaan Foundation for Road Safety's roundtable focused on India's Good Samaritan law that protects bystanders who come to the aid of those injured on the roads. The passing of the Good Samaritan Law in 2016 was a huge milestone for road safety, but implementation at the ground level has been challenging due to low levels of awareness. The commitment signed at the roundtable in Jaipur promises that hospital staff and police officials in Rajasthan will be provided with training and written materials to ensure they are aware of the law and treat Good Samaritans justly, fairly, and without undue inconvenience. Read more HERE.

WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE TOOLKIT World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR) will be held next month on Sunday 17 November 2019. The European Federation of Road Victims (FEVR) has produced a toolkit including posters, banners, and a video to help you plan and implement your WDoR events. Find the toolkit HERE. Don't forget to share your campaigns with us.

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL'S REPORT The UN Secretary-General’s report on the Progress in Improving Global Road Safety was published in August. It provides an overview of the activities undertaken by the global road safety community toward the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020 and the Sustainable Development Goals. This year’s report highlights many activities undertaken by the Alliance and its members, including the Global Meetings in Kuala Lumpur, 2017, and Chania, 2019, the establishment of the Africa Chapter and the LEARN project in Kenya and Senegal. It illustrates that the contributions of NGOs and civil society are crucial in reducing the number of fatalities on the roads. Read the full report HERE.

AUSTRALASIAN ROAD SAFETY CONFERENCE The 2019 Australasian Road Safety Conference, held in Adelaide, Australia, last month under the theme “Leading the Way – Towards Zero.” Lotte Brondum, the Alliance’s Executive Director, was among the keynote speakers. Three Alliance members, Ali Zayerzadeh, Road Safety Pioneers, Iran; Arif Uddin, Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh; and Le Nguyen, Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation, Vietnam received low- and middle-income country (LMIC) scholarships to attend the conference. All three presented at the LMIC symposium. Read more HERE.