Global Meeting of NGOs Advocating for Road Safety
Nearly 1.3 million people die on the world's roads every year, and as many as 50 million others are injured. Many of those affected are pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists and users of public transport - those deemed the most vulnerable of all road users. They are often from low-income and middle-income countries and often between the ages of 10 and 24 years. The consequences of these crashes go well beyond these statistics; they affect entire families and communities for many years. Despite these facts, there is a lack of political attention to the problem of road traffic deaths and injuries in many countries.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have a key role to play in generating political commitment to addressing deaths and injuries on the world's roads. To support them in their efforts, WHO is planning to host the Global Meeting of NGOs Advocating for Road Safety. The meeting will take place in Brussels, Belgium on 7-8 May 2009. The meeting will allow representatives of 50-60 NGOs from all regions of the world to share experiences and identify ways in which they may take advantage of the synergies which exist across their organizations, WHO and the members of the UN Road Safety Collaboration to further enhance their efforts. The meeting will include presentations on successful advocacy strategies and working groups on ways to support legislation and enforcement, provision of services for victims, etc. Participants may also consider adopting a statement to the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety to be held in the Russian Federation in November 2009.
For further information, please contact Ms Laura Sminkey at sminkeyl@who.int