Alliance Newsletter

H ΕΥΘΥΤΑ-ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΤΗΡΙΟ ΟΔΙΚΗΣ ΑΣΦΑΛΕΙΑΣ ΡΟΔΟΥ, ενεργό μέλος της. Θα εκπροσωπηθεί από τη FEVR (Ευρωπαϊκή Ομοσπονδία Θυμάτων Τροχαίων Δυστυχημάτων ) στη 3η Παγκόσμια Διάσκεψη για την Οδική Ασφάλεια στη Σουηδία

MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE TO SET POST-2020 ROAD SAFETY AGENDA The 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety is almost here: 1,500 national government ministers and their delegations, policy makers, corporations, academics, and NGOs will be in attendance, giving us the opportunity to build partnerships and strengthen the political will required to reverse the current trends of global road deaths and suffering. The conference marks the end of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020. The past ten years have given road safety a strategic framework and built momentum, yet despite high hopes for change at the beginning of the decade, more time is needed to see it take effect. The Ministerial Conference is the moment for us to share successes and lessons, identify areas for improvement, and chart future strategic direction for road safety up to 2030 and beyond. The primary outcome of the conference will be the Stockholm Declaration, which will set the post-2020 political agenda. Read more about the conference HERE. Read the full Stockholm Declaration HERE and our shorthand summary of the recommendations HERE.

SWEDEN AND WHO: CONFERENCE IS A MILESTONE The Ministerial Conference will be hosted by the Government of Sweden, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO). We spoke with representatives from the Swedish government and WHO about the opportunities the conference will present. Fredrik Alfer, Deputy Director General for EU and International Affairs at the Swedish Ministry of Infrastructure said, "I hope that delegates will leave the conference inspired and with even better knowledge about the importance of working actively and jointly for road safety, and that this will both save lives and support global sustainable development." Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO Department for Social Determinants of Health said, “I am entirely convinced that this event will be transformative for road safety and for sustainable mobility more generally, and this implies that delegates will leave Stockholm emboldened with the idea that they need to do more and sometimes do things differently. Let’s hope, with the forward-looking vision of the Ministerial Conference, that they will be inspired to act and will act with conviction in the future.” Read more about what they had to say HERE.

PLEASE JOIN US IN STOCKHOLM On Tuesday 18 February, the Alliance will host a series of events aimed at gathering civil-society representatives, decision makers, and other stakeholders to highlight the devastating cost of inaction on road safety around the world and to call for urgent action to save citizens' lives.  13:00–14:00 Official People's Exhibition Opening 15:00–16:30 Presentation of the People's Survey Results 17:30–18:30 People's Meeting The Alliance will host two official side events at the Waterfront Congress Center on Thursday 20 February from 07:45–08:45. From That Day Our World Crumbled: The Human Cost of Inaction on Road Safety Building Partnerships for Better Road Safety Data, hosted alongside the International Road Federation, IRF (Geneva) and Total Foundation Read more about our events and sign up HERE.

THE ROAD TO SWEDEN Around the world, our members are opening up dialogues with their ministers and government departments, encouraging them to attend the conference and using the #CommitToAct campaign to push for specific commitments for road safety action in their countries. We asked members how they have prepared for the conference. Some have experienced challenges bringing the conference to the attention of their governments. For example, Writtu Bhatta, Swatantrata Abhiyan Nepal, said, "We have met with several officials in state authorities to speed up action and promote road safety efforts, and found that many of them were not aware of the conference. We have encouraged them to attend; however we found the limited time availability of parliament members, the transfer of bureaucrats, and follow-up to be challenging." Read more about how members have prepared for Sweden HERE.

MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE SPARKS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE Public policy that reflects the concerns of civil society, building partnerships across sectors, sharing successes, learning, and creating visibility. We asked some of our members what they are expecting to get out of the Ministerial Conference and found that the upcoming event has sparked a sense of hope. Jeanne Picard, President, Ibero-American Federation of Associations of Victims Against Road Violence (FICVI), said, "We expect road safety to be declared as a political priority. We hope to raise the profile of this daily human tragedy, and we hope to see words transformed into actions." Valentina Pomatto, Executive Director of Humanity & Inclusion (HI), said, "The conference offers an opportunity for road safety advocates, leaders, and supporters from around the world to meet and shape — together — the road ahead." Read more from our members HERE.

YOUTH TO TAKE ACTION ON BIGGEST PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT OF THEIR TIME Up to 200 young leaders will gather in Stockholm for the 2nd World Youth Assembly to demand safer mobility and claim their seat at the decision-making table. Road safety is the number one public health threat for young people aged 15 to 29, yet youth are largely excluded from the systems that decide how mobility is shaped. This is simply not acceptable. We spoke to Floor Lieshout, Executive Director of Youth for Road Safety (YOURS), who said, "If leaders are not coming to the youth, then we will bring the youth to them. Young people are not only the next generation of leaders in the field, but also live in a reality where so many are being killed on the road around them today. It is crucial that meaningful youth participation is embedded in the culture of change and development." Esteban Paredes, from Fundación CAVAT, is a member of the Global Youth Taskforce that is responsible for organizing the Assembly. We asked him about the consultations that he organized in Ecuador in the run-up to the World Youth Assembly. He said, "In my consultations with young people in the lead-up to the Assembly and the Ministerial Conference, I have realized that being included in decision-making empowers and motivates youth to be part of the change." Read more about the importance of meaningful youth participation in road safety HERE.

CIVIL SOCIETY FEARS BUSINESS AS USUAL AFTER STOCKHOLM The Ministerial Conference presents road safety stakeholders across sectors with the opportunity to work together and take action; however NGOs fear that commitments made at the conference will remain on paper. Several of those we spoke to mentioned the danger of "business as usual" after the conference. Further, there was a sense that the targets set out in the Declaration must be perceived to be realistic and that there must be accountability for them. Peter Frazer, President, Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH), said, "The goals and commitments outlined in the Declaration must be ambitious, specific and achievable, otherwise we are setting the global community up to fail." Read more about some of our members' hopes and fears HERE.

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS IN SWEDEN The conference will present many opportunities for NGOs to ask questions, both in sessions and conversation with individuals. We have prepared a short guide to help you to get the most out of these opportunities. Find it HERE. For those of you not attending, you can send any questions you have for ministers at the conference to admin@roadsafetyngos.org, and we will do our best to get them answered.

WHO TO FOLLOW  If you are unable to attend the conference, you can still track the event via social media. Follow the conference on Twitter and Facebook, and raise awareness by sharing updates on your social pages using the hashtags #GlobalGoals2030, #RoadSafetyConference2020, and #CommitToAct. Take a look at our "Who to Follow" guide HERE.