ΝΕΑ από την Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety

Η ΕΥΘΥΤΑ-ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΤΗΡΕΙΟ ΟΔΙΚΗΣ ΑΣΦΑΛΕΙΑΣ ΡΟΔΟΥ, είναι ενεργό μέλος της! 

HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON IMPROVING GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY On 30 June–1 July, the first ever UN General Assembly high-level meeting for road safety was held at UN Headquarters in New York. Its objective was to “address gaps and challenges ... mobilize political leadership and promote multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder collaboration.” The primary outcome was Political Declaration A/RES/76/294, which was approved by Member States and issued during the opening session. To assess the level of political leadership demonstrated by governments through the High-level Meeting, the Alliance has scrutinized the Political Declaration and the statements made by Member States during the plenary sessions. Read our assessment HERE and read extracts from our analysis BELOW.

NGO ANALYSIS OF THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING The Alliance has analyzed the 73 statements made by Member States and the European Union during the plenary session and compared the Political Declaration A/RES/76/294 against the Stockholm Declaration and UN Resolution A/RES/74/299 that declared the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 (Decade of Action). These outcomes are a barometer of political will toward achievement of the 2030 road safety targets. Read our assessment HERE. Statements More than 80% of the 73 plenary statements made by Member States mentioned a national strategy for road safety, however, only 21% mentioned government funding for road safety; 11 (15%) statements were delivered by a government minister and 21 (29%) by another ministry or road safety agency official; 25 (34%) statements mentioned that the Member State was or would be implementing a Safe System approach. However, key specifics aligned to the Safe System were missing. Read our full analysis of the statements and downloadable PDF HERE. Find out if your representative made a statement, links to the recordings, and our NGO checklist HERE.  Political Declaration The Political Declaration demonstrated progression from previous resolution A/RES/74/299 in the strength of its commitment to the Safe System and the setting of national targets and strategies; However, there was significant regression in the strength of language used regarding domestic government financing and involvement of civil society. Read our comparison of the Political Declaration HERE and find the Political Declaration HERE.

AFTER THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING: NEXT STEPS FOR NGO ADVOCACY “At the next High-level Meeting we don’t want to hear how many lives are lost every year,” says Valeria Motta, Director of Advocacy and Partnerships at the Alliance. “We want to hear how many lives were saved.” Now that the High-level Meeting has concluded, there are actions that NGOs can take to maintain accountability with their governments, whether they attended the High-level Meeting or not. Find out if your country made a statement and if they did, re-listen to it; Engage with your relevant Ministry and the road safety agency to follow up; If your country did not make a statement, this is still an advocacy moment. All UN Member States approved the Political Declaration via the silence procedure before the High-level Meeting; Engage the Ministry responsible for road safety and the national road safety agency to address both the policy and implementation levels; Key global moments for engagement include progress reporting on the Political Declaration at the General Assemblies in 2023 and 2025, and a second High-level Meeting to be held in 2026; Use the NGO Declaration and regional calls to action to back up your asks and put pressure to move the agenda forward. “Opportunities are scarce,” concludes Valeria. “So let’s make sure that we, the NGO community, are ready to maximize it, support our governments, and watch their progress.” Read more about how NGOs can leverage the High-level Meeting to support their advocacy in Valeria’s article HERE and read examples from NGOs BELOW.

IN ACTION: NGOs LEVERAGING THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” says Ingrid Johnston of Alliance member Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS). “[Making or] not making a statement, sends a message.” We spoke to two NGOs, one whose government made a plenary statement and one whose did not, to find out how they are following up on the High-level Meeting in contrasting contexts.  The Nigerian government's statement was one of 32 (44%) delivered by a Ministry or road safety official and one of only 10 (14%) that mentioned domestic government funding for road safety. Simon Patrick Obi, of Alliance member Greenlight Initiative in Nigeria, attended the High-level Meeting with his government's delegation. Now he and the NGO are following up with government officials, parliamentarians, and other road safety stakeholders. They have shared the Political Declaration with them and are arranging an interactive workshop to explain it. “At this workshop, we will share the Alliance’s NGO analysis and explain the Political Declaration and what they, as a UN Member State, have committed to,” says Simon. Additionally, Greenlight Initiative will use its position on government committees to stimulate commitment and accountability.  ACRS represents road safety professionals and advocates across Australia and New Zealand. Neither country made a statement, although both were part of a joint statement delivered by Lithuania. ACRS is focusing on the opportunities ahead to show political priority and leadership for road safety both domestically and among the global community. “I am saying it wherever I am,” says Ingrid. “We know how important it is to implement evidence-based action to further reduce road deaths and injuries, and the more organizations understand that, the more noise we can make to get those actions implemented.” Simon concludes, “Now, civil society must push and promote the Political Declaration and the Alliance's analysis to get government to match their words with actions. Results might not come immediately but NGOs must follow up until we see them.” Read more from ACRS HERE and from Greenlight Initiative HERE.

LANCET SERIES ADDS TO ROAD SAFETY EVIDENCE BASE To coincide with the High-level Meeting, well-respected academic journal the Lancet has published a series of three papers on Road safety: More than reducing injuries. The series, which has been led by Adnan Hyder, Milken Institute School of Public Health of George Washington University, looks at the “mismatch between the global dialogue on road traffic injuries and action in tackling them.” It offers evidence-based recommendations and provides useful data for NGO advocates. Paper 1 assesses the political context and will to achieve the 2030 target. It assesses the role of different stakeholders, including governments, private sector, academia, and NGOs and civil society; Paper 2 shows how proven interventions, including speeding management, drink driving, and helmet, seatbelt, and child restraint usage, could avoid 25–40% of road deaths and, significantly includes a breakdown by country—a particularly useful tool for NGO advocates;  Paper 3 focuses on the effect of emergency care interventions in low- and middle-income countries in reducing road deaths. Read more and find links to the articles HERE.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND DEADLINES

Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards: Nominations open until 31 July 2022. Read more and submit nominations HERE.

Annual Delft Road Safety Course: Applications open until 1 August 2022. Read more and apply HERE.

Alliance Latin America Chapter Launch: 31 August 2022 at 15:00–17:00 CEST. Stay tuned for more information.