As governments, UN agencies, civil society and global leaders gathered in New York for the Fourth United Nations High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety brought one clear message to the table: commitments alone do not save lives, accountability does.
Throughout the meeting, YOURS delegation championed a vision of youth engagement that goes far beyond representation. Young people are not simply beneficiaries of safer roads or participants in global conversations. They are essential partners in helping governments understand whether commitments are reaching real streets, real communities and the people they are meant to protect.
Alongside the adoption of the Progress Declaration on Road Safety, the World Health Organization released new global data showing that the global road traffic death rate has fallen by 21% since 2011, despite more than one billion additional vehicles being added to the world’s roads. The figures demonstrate that evidence-based policies, stronger legislation and sustained investment save lives.
An estimated 1.16 million people still lost their lives on the world’s roads in 2025, and road traffic injuries continue to be the leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5–29. While deaths have fallen by 36% in Europe, progress has stagnated in the Americas and increased by 17% in Africa. Meanwhile, the number of motorcyclists has more than tripled since 2011, and they now account for nearly one in every three road deaths worldwide.
The message emerging from New York was clear: the world already knows what works. The challenge now is ensuring that commitments become measurable action. For YOURS, accountability begins with meaningful youth engagement. Youth participation is not symbolic, it is a structural accountability mechanism. Young people bring lived experience, innovation and community-level insight that help governments stay aligned with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety. By monitoring progress, identifying implementation gaps and advocating for change, young people help ensure that road safety commitments move beyond conference rooms and into everyday life.
This perspective shaped the participation of Raquel Barrios, Executive Director of YOURS, during the Commitments in Action Roundtable, where discussions focused on what it takes to translate global commitments into real progress.
“YOURS’ experience shows that youth participation becomes powerful when it moves from visibility to accountability. Young people are not just there to ‘represent youth’; they help test whether road safety commitments are reaching real streets and real communities. They see where policy meets pavement: unsafe school zones, unprotected cycling routes, inaccessible transport, and the everyday gaps that still put people at risk.” — Raquel Barrios, Executive Director, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety
Accountability also depends on transparency. National commitments need to be supported by public implementation plans with clear timelines, defined responsibilities and measurable progress indicators. When governments make these plans accessible, communities and young people are better equipped to monitor delivery, support implementation and help keep progress on track.
Just as importantly, accountability requires investment. Scaling proven road safety solutions depends on governments, UN agencies, donors and civil society pooling resources around evidence-based interventions and ensuring that youth-centred programmes have the long-term support they need to create lasting change.
Those ideas were echoed by Sana’ Khasawneh, Senior Advocacy and Public Affairs Manager at YOURS, who represented the youth perspective during the United Nations General Assembly’s official Multi-stakeholder Panel on Road Safety, alongside the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), iRAP and Amazon.
Her intervention highlighted that accountability is a shared responsibility. Governments bring authority, experts bring knowledge, civil society brings scrutiny and funders bring resources, but young people bring something equally essential: proximity to the challenges and a stake in tomorrow’s consequences.
“Accountability is shared. Governments bring authority and experts bring knowledge. Civil society brings scrutiny, and funders bring resources. Young people bring proximity to the problem and a stake in tomorrow’s consequences. Please do not invite youth only to stand beside your commitments. Give them the power to test them, track them, challenge them and help deliver them. Accountability is not measured by how carefully we count the lives we lose. It is measured by how courageously we prevent their loss.” — Sana’ Khasawneh, Senior Advocacy and Public Affairs Manager, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety
Together, these conversations reflected a growing recognition across the High-Level Meeting: meaningful youth engagement is not an optional addition to road safety governance. It is a practical tool for improving implementation, strengthening accountability and accelerating progress towards the 2030 target.
One training program can spark an idea. Sixteen young people can start a movement. Just a few weeks after coming together in Chimalhuacán to learn about road safety, leadership and community engagement, the participants of Seguro Es Cool are no longer sitting in the audience. They are standing at the front of classrooms, facilitating discussions, sharing their experiences and encouraging other young people to think differently about the way they move through their communities.
This shift from participants to facilitators has always been at the heart of Seguro Es Cool. Supported by Fundación Aleatica, in collaboration with Liga Peatonal, Circuito Exterior Mexiquense and YOURS (Youth for Road Safety), the programme was designed with a simple idea in mind: lasting change happens when young people are trusted not only to learn, but also to lead.
Following the training of facilitators held in April, each participant took on a new challenge: bringing those conversations back to local high schools and universities. Since then, they have delivered 50 peer-led cascade workshops, reaching more than 1,800 students across the State of Mexico.
Rather than repeating information, each workshop became an opportunity to connect safe motorcycle use with everyday life. Young facilitators encouraged their peers to reflect on the choices they make every time they ride a motorcycle and wear a helmet, creating spaces where road safety felt relevant because it was rooted in their own experiences.
As every workshop reached a new classroom, another conversation began. And with every new conversation, the programme continued to grow beyond the original group of participants.
This ripple effect is what gives Seguro Es Cool its strength. Instead of stopping with a single training, knowledge continues to move from one young person to another, creating a network of new road safety advocates who understand the realities of their own communities and are ready to become part of the solution.
Fifty workshops and more than 1,800 young people reached are important milestones, but they tell only part of the story. The real impact lies in every conversation that continues after the sessions end, in every young person who leaves the classroom thinking differently about safe motorcycle use, and in every new leader who discovers they have the power to influence others.
This week, YOURS is in Bangkok, Thailand, taking part in the ASEAN Youth United for Road Safety Conference, convened by the Thailand Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, with support from WHO Thailand. Bringing together youth leaders, government representatives and regional partners from across ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific, the conference is creating an important platform for young people to contribute to the future of road safety in the region.
At the heart of the conference is the development of the ASEAN Youth Recommendations for Road Safety, a youth-led document that will be presented to the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Youth, within the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth, and later at the UN High Level Forum on Road Safety. More than a set of recommendations, this is an opportunity for young people to help shape regional road safety priorities and influence decision-making beyond the conference itself.
Representing YOURS, Molly Stoneman, Partnerships & Business Development Director, joined the panel discussion “Road Traffic Accident Situation Among Youth”, where she shared practical experiences on meaningful youth participation and highlighted how young people can move from lived experience to evidence-based advocacy. Drawing on YOURS’ work across the region, the session reinforced the importance of equipping young people with the knowledge, networks and opportunities to influence safer and more sustainable mobility systems.
Molly offered lessons from the 2025 Global Youth Statement for Road Safety [LINK] as a practical example of youth consultations informing evidenced recommendations, which can be used as a lobbying tool to explain youth needs and outline solutions. This model applies to the forthcoming ASEAN Youth Recommendations, which can launch new conversations between youth and their representatives.
Alongside the panel discussion, YOURS also held bilateral meetings with representatives from Thailand’s Department of Children and Youth to strengthen relationships and explore opportunities for continued collaboration in advancing youth leadership for road safety across the region.
Bilateral conversations with the Thailand Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Health, and with WHO Thailand, demonstrated Thailand’s commitment to youth participatory programming. We heard clever examples of inclusive mobility programmes from Thailand, such as car seat donation centres and student data mapping initiatives, and shared ideas from across ASEAN.
The conference also provides an opportunity for experienced youth advocates to exchange ideas, explore evidence-based solutions that respond to the Asia-Pacific context, and collaborate on approaches to securing stronger commitments from governments, civil society and the private sector. Through these conversations, YOURS is contributing not only to developing the recommendations but also to ensuring young people are supported in turning those recommendations into meaningful action.
As the ASEAN Youth Recommendations continue their journey towards regional and global decision-making spaces, YOURS remains committed to supporting the ASEAN Youth Network through training, networking opportunities and expert guidance, helping transform youth-led ideas into lasting impact for safer roads across the region.
YOURS – Youth for Road Safety and Mapfre Foundation are proud to announce a new global research initiative in partnership with The George Institute for Public Health. The project, Reimagining Driver Education: How Artificial Intelligence Can Shape the Next Generation, will explore how AI and emerging technologies could strengthen driver education, testing and licensing systems while contributing to safer roads for future generations.
Over the next nine months, the initiative will bring together young people, researchers, policymakers, driver licensing authorities and technology innovators to examine how emerging technologies are already being used across driver education and licensing systems, what opportunities and risks they present, and how they could shape safer mobility systems by 2035.
Road traffic injuries remain the leading cause of death among young people worldwide. At the same time, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and digital learning tools are transforming how people learn, make decisions and interact with technology. As these innovations continue to evolve, there is growing interest in understanding how they can be applied responsibly, ethically and effectively to improve road safety outcomes.
The project will explore existing and emerging applications of AI and digital technologies across the driver education and licensing journey. Through global research, expert engagement and youth-centred consultations, the initiative will identify promising use cases, analyse potential challenges and develop practical recommendations for policymakers, licensing authorities, driver education providers and technology developers.
A defining feature of the project is its commitment to meaningful youth participation. Through a Youth Steering Committee and regional consultations, young people will help shape the research process, identify priority areas and contribute perspectives on how technology can support safer roads and stronger licensing systems.
As Raquel Barrios, Executive Director of YOURS, explains: “Young people are not only the most affected by road traffic injuries, but they are also the earliest adopters and initiators of new technologies. As AI and emerging innovations transform how we learn, drive, and move, their leadership is essential. This research allows us to understand the evolving landscape of driver education, testing, and licensing, while demonstrating how youth‑driven insight and technological fluency can strengthen road safety systems. It is a natural extension of our mission at YOURS to ensure that young people shape the future of mobility, and that innovation is harnessed responsibly to save lives.”
“IA is changing all aspects of our lives, and driver education, in particular risk awareness, are not exceptions. By partnering with YOURS, we bring both technical expertise and fresh perspectives to this topic. Our aim with this research, and the invaluable participation of The George Institute, is to explore opportunities and identify limitation of IA-powered driver education and transfer this learning to driver education systems and schools around the worl”, says Jesús Monclús, Expert Director of Safe Mobility at Mapfre Foundation.
Mapfre Foundation joins the initiative as project donor, participating also in the research and strategic guidance, dissemination and building on its longstanding commitment to road safety, prevention and innovation.
The George Institute for Global Health bring its global research expertise to this initiative, working alongside YOURS, MAPFRE Foundation, and young people to ensure that AI and emerging innovations are applied equitably and responsibly across diverse licensing systems and communities -and grounded in robust evidence. – Jagnoor Jagnoor, Program Lead, Injury, The George Institute for Global Health
As research partner, The George Institute for Global Health will contribute expertise to help ensure the study is grounded in robust evidence and informed by global perspectives.
This initiative also reflects YOURS’ growing role in connecting youth engagement, advocacy and evidence generation to influence policy and practice. Building on previous publications, policy briefs and toolkits, the project seeks to generate practical recommendations that can support decision-makers, strengthen driver education systems and ultimately contribute to reducing road traffic injuries.
As the research progresses, the project team will engage with stakeholders across sectors and regions, creating opportunities for dialogue, collaboration and shared learning.
For more information or to explore collaboration opportunities, please contact Sana’a Ramez Khasawneh at sanaa@youthforroadsafety.org
Creating safer roads requires more than awareness. It requires people who understand the challenges, can speak about them with confidence and are ready to advocate for change in their communities. That is the vision behind Youth Advocacy in Action for Safer Roads, a new initiative being implemented under the iDrive4Life programme.
Under the iDrive4Life programme, the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA) and JN Foundation, in collaboration with YOURS – Youth for Road Safety, is implementing the project “Youth Advocacy in Action for Safer Roads”, which aims to equip 150 secondary school students in Jamaica with road safety knowledge and leadership skills, enabling them to design and lead their own advocacy campaigns while contributing to a scalable model for youth-led action across FIA Region III.
Through advocacy and communications training, access to online learning opportunities and hands-on campaign development, participants will gain the tools needed to turn ideas into action. The project will also contribute to the development of a Youth Pilot Toolkit, capturing lessons learned and creating a model that can support youth-led road safety initiatives.
For Montel Hill, Lead, Driving Academy, iDrive4Life Initiative, the project is about creating opportunities for young people to take an active role in making their communities safer. “This Youth Advocacy in Action for Safer Roads project is about equipping young people with the knowledge, confidence, and conviction to be agents of change in their own communities. Through this collaboration with YOURS, and the support of FIA Region III, iDrive4Life, powered by the Jamaica Automobile Association and JN Foundation, is proud to bring this initiative to 150 Jamaican secondary school students across five schools. By grounding this work in the Safe Systems approach, we are not simply training better drivers of the future, we are building a generation of road safety advocates who will make Jamaica’s roads safer for everyone.”
Grounded in the Safe Systems approach, the initiative recognises that safer roads are created through shared responsibility. While policies, infrastructure and enforcement all play an important role, communities also have a voice in shaping safer mobility systems. Young people experience these systems every day, and their perspectives can help identify challenges, influence conversations and inspire action.
Over the coming months, students will explore road safety issues affecting their daily lives, learn how advocacy can drive change and develop communications skills that help them engage their peers and communities. They will then apply these skills through youth-led campaigns designed around issues they care about most.
The project also builds on a growing commitment across FIA Region III to strengthen youth participation in road safety initiatives and create opportunities for young people to contribute to safer communities.
Reflecting on the recent FIA Region III Meeting in Quebec City, Omar Wright, Programme Lead at the JN Foundation and FIA Club Correspondence for Jamaica Automobile Association, highlighted how regional collaboration helped reinforce the vision behind the initiative. “The FIA Region III meeting in Quebec City was a grounding experience. Seeing how clubs across the region are tackling road safety challenges that mirror our own reminded me that we are not working in isolation. What stood out to me was how closely the regional conversation aligned with what we are already building through the iDrive4Life programme. This partnership with YOURS takes that vision further by putting advocacy tools directly in the hands of Jamaican youth. These students won’t just learn about road safety, they will become the voices championing it in their schools and communities, a model we hope to share with the wider FIA Region III clubs.”
Often, young people are seen as beneficiaries of road safety initiatives rather than as partners in creating solutions. “At YOURS, we believe that by building advocacy skills and creating opportunities for action, we support young people in addressing their issues, engaging their communities and helping to make roads safer. Meaningful participation is not only about giving young people a seat at the table; it is about ensuring they have the tools, confidence and opportunities to influence change,” said Iván Víquez S, Global Programmes Director, YOURS
By bringing together local expertise, regional collaboration and youth leadership, Youth Advocacy in Action for Safer Roads aims to create lasting impact in Jamaica while contributing to a model that can be adapted and replicated across FIA Region III.
As the project unfolds, 150 students will have the opportunity to move from learning about road safety to actively shaping conversations around it. In doing so, they will help demonstrate what is possible when young people are trusted with the tools, knowledge and opportunities to lead change in their communities.
Development projects shape cities and systems for decades, defining how people move, where they can live and work, and how they experience public space. Yet, the people most affected by these decisions are often not part of how they are made, creating gaps that directly influence how infrastructure performs, how communities engage with it, and how sustainable outcomes can be over time.
On 3 May 2026, at the Asian Development Bank’s Annual Meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety facilitated a panel discussion on how youth and community engagement can strengthen the design and delivery of development projects. The conversation brought together Ulfi Puarada from Transportologi and Shivani Khurana from Raahgiri Foundation, both members of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety’s leadership teams representing the voice of the youth movement behind YOURS. Youth advocates spoke alongside Director General Hideaki Iwasaki from the Asian Development Bank, Sectors Department 1 (Energy and Transport Sectors) as well as Mohamed Manssouri, Assistant Director-General and Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Investment Centre, connecting perspectives from young leaders and communities with institutional experience in development and investment.
Invest the time up front, see the returns long-term
Across the discussion, a consistent idea emerged around the role of participation in shaping more effective and sustainable outcomes. Development processes that integrate communities from the earliest stages tend to deliver stronger results across implementation, performance and long term sustainability. When communities understand projects, contribute to their design and see their priorities reflected in decisions, they are more likely to support implementation, strengthen local ownership and sustain outcomes over time.
When asked about measuring return-on-investment from community inclusion, Mr. Iwasaki explained, “There are returns, but those returns take time. In my experience, there is no doubt that high community engagement gives better results. It takes more time and money in the beginning, but investing in communities over the long run is a more sustainable investment.”
Community consultation can look different
Meaningful participation becomes visible in how engagement evolves within project cycles, moving from listening through surveys and focus groups, into co-creation, and at its strongest, into shared roles in decision making, implementation and accountability.
Ms. Ulfi Puarada spoke clearly, “Start with consulting youth, but then bring us in to co-create, and then to lead.”
The panel shared examples of how to listen to the community’s feedback in their own way, including through creative exercises like drawing, music, poetry, and mural making.
One audience member asked about consulting youth and women in particular, when every citizen would be affected by a project. Ms. Shivani Khurana explained that projects should consider which identity groups are most affected by the decisions made — students, wheelchair users, elderly — and to design around the people most vulnerable. “In general, with young people and women, these are the voices that are often left out of the decision process, so we do need to prioritise including them,” she explained.
Rely on data and evidence
Evidence shared during the session reinforced how this approach translates into tangible results in practice.
Mr. Iwasaki shared his experiences from India’s Rural Road Programme in partnership with the Asian Development Bank, where strong community listening activities made the ADB-supported sections of road upgrades more effective and long-lasting. “If you do it right the first time by really listening to the community, your money goes further. Otherwise you will pay to revise and upgrade later.”
In India’s Rural Road Programme, community engagement frameworks were initially perceived as a potential constraint on delivery timelines. In practice, the sections of road that included structured community consultation progressed more efficiently into procurement, supported by stronger local alignment and ownership throughout the process.
This pattern can be observed across sectors, where projects that are co-designed with communities tend to benefit from stronger adoption, wider dissemination through local networks and greater long term sustainability. These outcomes are reflected in improved performance indicators and more resilient impact beyond initial investment periods.
Participatory practices fit into every part of the project lifecycle
YOURS continues to integrate youth and community participation across its work, embedding these approaches into project design, implementation and evaluation through participatory methodologies and community led processes. Across different contexts, these experiences demonstrate how participation can be embedded as a core component of development practice and contribute consistently to stronger results.
This approach also responds to existing gaps in representation across sectors. Decision making spaces in transport, energy and urban development remain limited in diversity, while young people, women and vulnerable communities continue to experience the direct impact of infrastructure and policy decisions over longer time horizons.
As Mr. Mohamed Manssouri shared: “Investing in the human and social capital of youth and women is essential for building strong community-based organizations, creating more and better jobs, and achieving greater impact across agrifood systems.”
Development institutions can build community criteria into loan frameworks, while civil society can reinforce benefits of opting in to governments.
Advancing this model requires integrating participation into development frameworks from the earliest stages, ensuring it is planned, resourced and implemented as part of standard processes across institutions and governments.
Community consultation is not a ‘nice to have,’ but a strategic return on investment
As global development agendas continue to evolve, this conversation reflects a broader shift already taking place across multiple platforms, where youth participation and road safety are increasingly recognised as essential to building sustainable and effective systems.
