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Marrakech 2025: invest in road safety
This month marks one year until the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety (Ministerial Conference) in Marrakech, Morocco. 2025 is the midpoint of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030. Therefore, the Ministerial Conference is an opportunity to review progress and build further accountability while there is still time to put in place the policies and interventions to achieve the 2030 target. Governments must invest in interventions that have been proven to save lives and protect people. Studies show that evidence-based road safety interventions have a strong cost benefit, reducing health, insurance, and other societal costs. For example, iRAP’s Safety Insights Explorer estimates benefits of up to US$8 could be achieved for every US$1 invested in bringing roads up to 3-star standard. With so many urgent priorities competing for government attention—poverty, inequality, climate change, and more—NGOs must be ready to demonstrate why they should invest in road safety and how doing so will help solve these other challenges at the same time. NGOs have a pivotal opportunity to leverage the Ministerial Conference for stronger accountability and investment to achieve the 2030 targets and make our streets safer, healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable for the people and communities that use them. This is crucial especially considering the findings from the recent Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, which showed that nine in 10 deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Deaths in these countries are also far higher when set against the number of vehicles and roads they hold. Tools are available to support NGO advocacy, including the Accountability Checklist in our Accountability Toolkit, the recently-launched Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, and the upcoming Mobility Snapshots. The Alliance will help equip NGOs to use these tools for advocacy and to keep their governments accountable. Read more HERE. |
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 | A dignitary at the 3rd Ministerial Conference in Stockholm participating in the People's Exhibition.
© Alhstrom/Elgquist |
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One year to the Ministerial Conference
“45 countries reduced their road traffic deaths by at least 30% in the previous Decade of Action. The 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety will serve as a forum for shedding light on how this was achieved and reproduced to accelerate progress and save lives,” says Etienne Krug, Director, Social Determinants of Health, WHO.
The Ministerial Conference on Road Safety will be held on 18–19 February 2025, co-organized by WHO and the Government of Morocco. It will bring together national ministers including Ministers for Transport, Infrastructure, and Health; road safety agency heads; and other government, private sector, academic, NGO, and youth stakeholders to evaluate progress and fortify commitments toward accelerating the implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030.
The website for the Ministerial Conference will be launched soon, serving as the primary hub for all related information, including registration details, agenda, and preparatory materials. Invitations will be sent to ministers. NGOs should start getting ready to engage with their decision makers to check that they are aware of the conference and that they register. NGOs need to encourage key decision makers to attend and leverage their influence to ensure a well-represented and prepared national delegation. It has been beneficial at previous Ministerial Conferences when NGOs have been part of their governments' official delegations.
The Alliance will hold the Ninth Global Meeting of Nongovernmental Organizations Advocating for Road Safety and Road Victims (Global Meeting) back-to-back with the Ministerial Conference, culminating in a joint civil society call to action. Its purpose will be to strengthen our NGO voice ahead of the conference and support NGOs in their ongoing advocacy for accountability and significant investments for improving road safety.
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 | | A cross section of dignitaries at the 3rd Ministerial Conference in Stockholm. © Alhstrom/Elgquist |
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Interview: from Stockholm to Marrakech“Parts of the Stockholm Declaration were included in the resolution [A/RES/74/299] from the UN General Assembly in August 2020. The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 included many of the ideas from the Stockholm Declaration,” says Claes Tingvall, Chairman of the Academic Expert Group for the 3rd Ministerial Conference in Stockholm and former Director of Road Safety in Sweden. As we build up to the 4th Ministerial Conference in Marrakech, Morocco, we interviewed Claes Tingvall about the legacy of the 3rd Ministerial Conference, his expectations for the 4th Ministerial Conference in Marrakech, and what NGOs can do in the lead up to the conference and beyond. Many of the recommendations of the Academic Expert Group such as sustainable practices and reporting, upgrading road infrastructure, and 30 km/h in cities have been implemented. The group also established the connection of road safety to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and how it is a part of health, climate, and equity issues. “Investment is one of the reasons why we need to connect road safety to a bigger agenda; what I hope to see following the Marrakech conference is that the road safety community carries on this journey for road safety to be integrated into something bigger; it is a part of a wider community that cares for its citizens and it is part of public health,” says Claes Tingvall. Read the full interview HERE. |
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 | | Ratanawadee Winther at the 3rd Ministerial Conference in Stockholm. © Alhstrom/Elgquist |
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Member focus: the impact of StockholmThe impact of the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety and Stockholm Declaration can be seen at national levels in several countries where Alliance member NGOs actively engaged with their governments in the lead up, during, and after the conference. According to Ratanawadee Winther, Chairperson of Alliance member AIP Foundation, Thailand, “We put the Stockholm Declaration at the center of our actions for improving road safety, and we started adopting the safe systems approach, which our decision makers were not aware of prior to the conference in Stockholm." Thailand's commitment to implementation of this evidence-based approach is having a significant impact, leading to reductions in road traffic fatalities from 35 to 25 per 100,000 population between 2018 and 2023. Ratanawadee continues, "we are going into the conference in Marrakech with the momentum from Stockholm and working on getting a high-powered delegation to attend again.” Read more HERE. |
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 | | #CommitToAct: Alliance members at the People's Exhibition. © Alhstrom/Elgquist |
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Save the date: Mobility Snapshots Our 2024 campaign will be held on 20–26 May 2024. We invite you to take part by doing a Mobility Snapshot in your local community. This involves choosing an intersection where people and vehicles mix, counting how many people use it, and analyzing it from the perspective of a pedestrian. The Mobility Snapshots will be a part of our preparations for the 4th Ministerial Conference in 2025 and support our call to action for investment and accountability to achieve a 50% reduction in road deaths and injuries by 2030. It will also be a central part of our Global Plan anniversary event in October. The Mobility Snapshots will focus on specific, cost-effective, evidence-based interventions, such as footpaths, crossings, traffic calming, and 30 km/h zones that could make pedestrians and other road users' journeys safer. They focus on pedestrians because they are among the most at-risk on our roads, yet are often overlooked in road design and implementation. If intersections are safe for pedestrians, they are safe for all road users. We are delighted to be partnering with iRAP to enable NGOs to obtain a star rating for the intersection they assess, providing additional strength to their advocacy demands. During the campaign week, share your Mobility Snapshot on social media, and then use it to build community demand and advocate for change. Find out more at our walkthroughs planned for 12-14 March. Register HERE. Read about the Mobility Snapshots and the campaign HERE. |
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