ΝΕΑ από Global Alliance NGOs for Road Safety : Ministerial Conference and beyond

 

Local voices on the global stage The long-awaited 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety (Ministerial Conference) took place this month under the theme Commit to Life. NGOs have been preparing for many months to help make the conference a powerful moment where meaningful commitments were made and to spark strong evidence-based action and accountability in the second half of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 (Decade of Action). The Alliance and around 70 of our members were on the ground in Marrakech, representing the voice of our full network of 400 NGOs. Using Mobility Snapshots and community helmet data collected by members, we set out to show delegates the realities of people's journeys around the world and evidence-based solutions to make them safe. We pushed a message of commitment and accountability with our call to action central to our messaging. These themes of realities and solutions, commitment and accountability, permeated each of our activities.  We thank the Government of Morocco and WHO for their leadership in organizing the conference and setting the agenda for the coming years. Now we look to our governments to act on their commitments and achieve the 2030 targets. NGOs are ready to play their part, representing people's realities, supporting implementation of solutions, and keeping governments and other system influencers accountable for their conference commitments and the 2030 targets.

Safe mobility painting being presented by NGOs to Minister Abdessamad Kayouh during the closing ceremony

Ministerial conference outcomes “Road safety is a human issue, not just a political or technical challenge,” said Morocco's Minister for Transport and Logistics, Abdessamad Kayouh, at the NGO Symposium. “Decision-makers must transform high-level commitments into real actions, and our policies should be grounded in the realities of people's lives.” Happening every five years, the Ministerial Conference is an important milestone in the coordinated effort to halve road deaths and injuries and maintain accountability for the 2030 targets. More than 100 Ministers took part in the 4th Ministerial Conference, alongside heads of road safety agencies, engineers, police, multilateral organizations, academia, NGOs, youth, and private sector. The organizers placed a strong focus on commitment, with 26 countries making a public commitment in two plenary sessions and additional commitments being recorded via the conference website. The conference culminated in the presentation of the Marrakech Declaration, setting out recommendations toward achieving the Decade of Action. The Ministerial Conference also saw the inaugural Mohammed VI International Prize for Road Safety presented to WHO and the UN Road Safety Fund. Read the declaration Catch up on the livestreamed sessions See the photos

Indian Minister and delegation with an NGO at the Alliance booth.

NGOs at the Ministerial Conference “NGOs have your boots on the ground. You witness and document the grim realities on our streets; speak up for road traffic victims and their families; and put forward ideas and strategies to make people safe,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a video message for the NGO Symposium. “You also serve as a bridge from communities to authorities, helping governments articulate and prioritize actions on road safety that benefit everyone.” From the NGO Symposium and #CommittoLife Walk and Ride ahead of the main program, to our side event, parallel session, and the booth, NGOs had a strong presence at the Ministerial Conference, bringing the voice of people and communities and calling for commitment and accountability. This culminated in the presentation of the safe mobility artwork, painted by Yesterman during the conference in the Alliance's booth, by NGOs to the Minister for Transport and Logistics, Abdessamad Kayouh during the closing ceremony. The Alliance's booth in the Ministerial Conference was a hub for Alliance members during the week. It served as a meeting point, a place for NGOs to bring their delegations, an opportunity to listen to NGOs describing the realities faced by road users and road victims, and a space to explain the solutions to make people's journeys safe. At least six heads of delegation visited the booth, often with member NGOs from their country. It featured a touch-and-feel display of helmets, and Mobility Snapshots, as well as Yesterman painting the artwork and a series of short events. Our thanks to FIA Foundation, Fundación Aleatica, TotalEnergies Foundation, and Uber for their support in enabling Alliance NGOs to attend the conference and making our activities possible. Read below how each of the Alliance's activities helped us to present realities and solutions and push for commitment and accountability.

Civil society call to action

A civil society call for action “Every person must be guaranteed safe, affordable, accessible, sustainable mobility ... We call on our governments to guarantee people’s right to safe mobility and act for a 50% reduction in road deaths and injuries by 2030 ... Safe mobility is our right,” reads an extract from the Alliance call to action. The Alliance call to action has been central to our advocacy for the past four years and has been updated in collaboration with members in the lead up to the Ministerial Conference. It was presented on two occasions during the conference. During a symbolic moment at a community event organized by the Agence nationale de la sécurité routière of Morocco, Alliance and Global Youth Coalition members described their experiences as road users and road victims and called for decision makers to commit to urgent action toward the 2030 targets. The call to action was presented again by Alliance Board Members at the NGO Symposium. It informed our activities throughout the week and regional versions, localized to members' contexts, were discussed in the regional meetings. Read the call to action.

#CommittoLife Walk and Ride

#CommittoLife Walk and Ride kicks off UN Global Road Safety Week In support of the upcoming UN Global Road Safety Week on safe walking and cycling, the Alliance and YOURS-Youth for Road Safety organized the #CommittoLife Walk and Ride. The Walk and Ride was kicked off during the civil society call to action by WHO's Director of Social Determinants of Health Etienne Krug. He announced the theme of the week, which will be held 12-18 May 2025, and in his speech, linked the testimonies given during the call to action to the right to walk safely.  After a photo opportunity, a group of cyclists then headed off around the city, while a group of pedestrians with signboards walked back to the Palais de Congrès where the conference was held.

Panel on sustainable financing at the NGO Symposium

NGO Symposium and parallel session explore commitment and accountability “Your mobilization of governments—just as you did for the Global Plan of Action and this Ministerial Conference—has been instrumental in securing commitments and ensuring accountability,” said Jean Todt, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety. “The progress we see today reflects your unwavering determination, which must continue.” The NGO Symposium, held the day before the Ministerial Conference, was NGOs' opportunity to set their agenda for the Ministerial Conference. It brought together NGOs, decision-makers, private sector, and multilateral organizations to discuss how to ensure that road safety commitments are actionable. Two panels discussed the roles of different stakeholders in commitment and how to achieve sustainable financing, while keynote speakers spoke about the important role of NGOs in ensuring commitment and accountability at national and local levels. Read more about the Symposium. The Alliance was delighted to be invited to organize a parallel session on commitments and accountability as part of the main program. This demonstrates the steps that NGOs have taken to promote accountability among the global road safety community. The session featured powerful testimonies and stage setting to show that people and their journeys must be the highest consideration in accountability. A panel discussion explored accountability for implementing commitments and the essential elements and tools needed to achieve this. Read more about the parallel session.

Malawian Minister and delegation with NGOs looking at the Mobility Snapshots

Mobility Snapshots: local realities on the global stage In the lead up to the Ministerial Conference, Alliance members collected data at intersections to demonstrate the realities faced by pedestrians and the proven solutions that could make them safe. These data were presented in a new publication Mobility Snapshots: Using local data to turn dangerous realities into safe people-centered streets, which was launched ahead of the conference at the NGO Symposium.  The Mobility Snapshots were further promoted through an interactive display at the Alliance's booth in the conference exhibition, where visitors could delve into specific Snapshots around the world. Passersby could also listen to NGOs describe their Mobility Snapshot intersections in a program of short interactive sessions held at the booth.  Read more about the Mobility Snapshots.   Making safe helmets a reality for all The Alliance published its white paper Making safe helmets a reality for all ahead of the Ministerial Conference and used a series of activities to explore its themes. At a side event Helmet realities and solutions, experts who contributed to the white paper discussed the key messages and challenges presented in it, including helmet standards, enforcement, manufacture, and importation, and solutions that different stakeholders can put into action. Read more about the side event. NGOs attending the Ministerial brought typical helmets used in their countries, most of them nonstandard. These helmets were displayed at the Alliance's booth for conference delegates to touch and feel and see if they could identify nonstandard from standard. At the end of the conference, some helmets were sent for testing at a laboratory, while the rest of the nonstandard helmets were destroyed to make sure that they could never be used.  A series of head-to-head sessions at the booth saw NGOs and experts discussing one of the helmets from the booth and the issues it raised from the white paper.  Lotte Brondum accepts a prize at the Film Festival Prize-winning animation showcases safer cycling The Alliance was delighted to receive a prize in the Ministerial Conference film festival for a short animation produced for its Safer Cycling Advocate Program, which was supported by FedEx. The animation promotes the need for more space for cyclists and won in the category of sustainable cities and communities. Congratulations to the other award winners, including several Alliance members.  Check out our prize-winning animation below and read more about the Safer Cycling Advocate Program,.  Safer Cycling Advocate Program: Space for cycling Directeur Général Agence Nationale de la Sécurité Routière Benacer Boulaajoul at the closing ceremony Commitment monitoring 26 countries made public commitments during plenary sessions at the Ministerial Conference. Commitments ranged from ratification of the Africa Charter, to new and updated road safety strategies, and increasing the number of 30 km/h streets. The Alliance is monitoring and analyzing these commitments to measure their quality and support NGOs in keeping their governments accountable for putting commitments into action.  The Alliance made notes on each commitment using a form that aligned to our call for evidence-based interventions, transparent and accountable investment, and involvement of NGOs. Member NGOs were encouraged to do the same. Our analysis will be published soon. NGOs at the Alliance booth Next steps for NGOs Learnings have been shared, commitments have been made, and the declaration presented. Now it is time for the real work to begin. NGOs can start by following up with their country's delegation to put global principles into local context. The Mobility Snapshots, helmet white paper, and Accountability Toolkit can support these conversations. If your government made a commitment, check what it contained via the livestream and consider the steps needed to implement it. If information is missing from the commitment, such as a target date or how it will be financed, follow up on these to help strengthen the commitment.  Following from the NGO debrief in Marrakech, stay tuned for resources and opportunities from the Alliance to help you convert commitment into accountability. Upcoming events and deadlines UN Global Road Safety Week: 12–18 May 2025.