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Road Safety

A vehicle on a tarmac road with overgrown bushes
A UNDSS vehicle awaiting convoy formation towards Gambella UNDSS / Chris Kariyo

Road traffic crashes are a leading cause of death and serious injury to United Nations personnel. Road traffic crashes involving UN vehicles are also a cause of fatalities and serious injuries in the communities we serve. The UN Road Safety Strategy was launched in 2019, with the objective of reducing the number of fatalities due to road traffic crashes by 50 percent by 2030.

Since the adoption of the first Decade of Action (2011-2020) a multi-sectoral and holistic approach to road safety management has been implemented in the UN. The Strategy manages the interaction between speed, vehicles, road-user behavior, and road infrastructure. The five pillars of the Strategy - road safety management, safer vehicles, safer road users, post-crash response, and safer driving environments — have proven to achieve a comprehensive view of road safety in the UN while providing a conceptual framework for our road safety work.

The ambitious target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50 percent that were set with the Global Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020) and SDG 3.6, were renewed in 2021. The for Road Safety 2021-2030 was proclaimed in UN Resolution on Improving Global Road Safety with a target to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent by the end of 2030. The Resolution noted that “…the overwhelming majority of road traffic deaths and serious injuries are preventable and that, despite some improvements in many countries, including in developing countries, they remain a major public health and development problem that has broad social and economic consequences which, if unaddressed, may affect progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, The Decade of Action is underpinned by the Global Plan, which is the guide for governments to achieving the 2030 target."

The launch of the Strategy and the Decade of Action has contributed to the efforts to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries resulting from road traffic crashes, and we strive to continue towards the target.

An aerial photo showing a busy street with many vehicles
Traffic on the busy streets of Nairobi FIA Foundation

UNGA adopts new resolution on improving global road safety

The UN General Assembly (GA) adopted a new resolution () on road safety on 31 August 2020. The GA recognizes the role of the Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) in implementing the UN Road Safety Strategy for reducing road traffic crashes and fatalities.

Paragraph 32 notes [the General Assembly] "welcomes the measures taken by the Secretary-General, the organizations of the United Nations system and the Department of Safety and Security of the Secretariat to enhance road safety through the implementation of the United Nations system road safety strategy so as to reduce road traffic crashes and casualties resulting from such incidents among United Nations personnel and the civilian population in host countries."

The resolution also includes the following key provisions:

  • endorses the Stockholm Declaration;
  • proclaims a Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030, with a goal to reduce deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030 -- an adjustment to the target date for Sustainable Development Goal 3.6;
  • requests for the , the UN-system and other stakeholders to prepare a plan of action for the Second Decade; and
  • agrees to convene a high-level meeting of the UNGA on road safety no later than the end of 2022.

The Division of Specialized Operational Support in UNDSS will continue to lead on road safety management initiatives in support of the objective of the strategy, the new resolution and the strategic vision of the Department.

A multitude of people behind two vehicles in a dusty area
UN vehicles surrounded by people fleeing a crisis UN photo / JC McIlwaine

The 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety - Overview and outcomes

The 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, hosted by the Kingdom of Morrocco and the World Health Organization (WHO), recently concluded in Marrakech, Morocco. The “Commit to Life” conference comes directly in the middle of the , an effort to accelerate progress toward the (SDGs). The conference focused on strategies to progress toward the SDG of halving road safety injuries and deaths by 2030. WHO noted that “[r]oad crashes claim the lives of nearly 1.2 million people each year - around 3200 each day - and are the leading cause of death among children and young adults aged 5-29.”

At the conference, leaders emphasized the “tremendous global burden” of road traffic crashes which have implications on economic, public health, and development areas. The conference acknowledged that globally, there has been a 5 percent reduction in the number of road safety deaths between 2010 and 2021. While this is not close to the overall 50 percent reduction target, the conference highlighted that 35 Member States achieved a 30 to 49 percent reduction in road safety injuries and deaths while 10 Member States achieved the 50 percent reduction target already. These states have demonstrated and proven that meeting the SDG of halving road safety injuries and deaths is not only necessary, but possible.

During the Conference, 15 Heads of UN agencies/departments and H.E. Mr. Abdessamad Kayouh, Minister of Transport and Logistics of the Kingdom of Morocco, signed a joint op-ed as a stark reminder that , and minsters from 100 countries endorsed the which calls on governments to make road safety a political priority, ensure sustained funding and advance actions to achieve the goal of halving road deaths by 2030 as set out in the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Some countries also made key commitments, including:

  • Thailand’s pledge to bring road deaths down to 12 per 100,000 people by 2027.
  • Bangladesh will enact the country’s first national road safety law.
  • Saudi Arabia will update the country’s national road safety strategy.
  • Colombia will ensure more cities will have speed limits of 50km/h and 30km/h.
  • Guinea will ratify the African Charter on Road Safety and align regulations with international standards.
  • Cote d’Ivoire aims to increase helmet wearing among motorcyclists to 90 percent by 2027.
  • The United Kingdom will produce its first national road safety strategy in over a decade.

At the conclusion of the conference, several of Member States adopted a series of recommendations aimed at accelerating progress toward the SDGs, such as encouraging collaboration between Member States on strategies to reduce road safety injuries and deaths; calling on Member States to implement policies and legislation that increase road safety, including infrastructure updates, driver education standards and vehicle safety regulations; and increasing monitoring and research into the evolving road technology and its impact on safety, as well as strategies to harness and deploy lifesaving technologies.

Mr. Abdessamad Kayouh, Minister of Transport and Logistics of the Kingdom of Morocco, said "We are proud to have hosted this Global Ministerial Conference in Marrakech, mobilizing UN member states and our international partners around an issue that concerns us all. As Africans in particular and as active members of the international community, we must celebrate this milestone. Every decision made here must translate into lives saved."