1.3 million people die on our roads every year. That’s 3 500 people killed every day. How can better road safety policies stop this carnage? Experts from over 30 organisations led by Sweden and the World Health Organisation met in Paris, France, on 7 February 2019 to shape the agenda of the 3rd UN Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety.
Secretary-General Young Tae Kim represented ITF as part of the High-level Consultative Committee (HLCC) which aims to create a successful conference with lasting results for global road safety. The HLCC is comprised of a broad spectrum of stakeholders, from public and private sector, as well as civil society and academia. Amongst those joining Mr Kim were Mattias Landgren (State Secretary for Infrastructure, Sweden), Etienne Krug (WHO), Lena Kling (Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation, Sweden) and Jean Todt (FIA President and UNSG Special Envoy for Road Safety)
The UN Conference will mark the end of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020 and the starting point for continued collaboration on road safety. The aim is to reach global consensus on guidelines for continued international collaboration on road safety up to 2030. Sweden is to host the Conference on 19–20 February 2020, which will be co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), and minister-led delegations from more than 100 countries are expected to attend. Representatives from the world of industry and research, international institutions and other global organisations will also participate.
Sweden’s road fatalities have dropped 42% since 2008. It is one of a handful of countries leading a paradigm shift in road safety policy based on the principles of a Safe System. In the video insert, ITF Secretary-General Young Tae Kim talks with Mattias Landgren, Sweden’s State Secretary for Infrastructure, about his country’s road safety policies.
