The World Health Organization (WHO) is exploring the creation of a public access law database on road traffic injury prevention in collaboration with one or more institutions. The public access database will provide access to country laws and regulations for research, advocacy, and in-country legislation improvements to harness the power of laws and regulations in addressing road traffic injuries and fatalities across multiple sectors, such as transport, health, insurance, and justice. 

We’ve published the updates below; 

The WHO’s request for information intends to identify suppliers to gather information and ideas to understand the industry for developing public access legislation for road safety. 

Since 2008, the WHO in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Regional Commissions has monitored the status of countries in reducing road traffic mortality which remains high at 1.35 million yearly. As part of its role, WHO has collected and analyzed legislation and regulations submitted by countries pertaining to key risk factors which include; speed, drink-driving, seat belts, child restraints, helmets, drug-driving, and mobile phone use. 

A vast database of laws and regulations has been collected through current efforts since the 2015 Global Status Report. This, however, has not been made readily available or accessible systematically outside the WHO. In the upcoming global status report (to be published in 2023), WHO will collect updates to laws and regulations related to the risk factors identified while also covering new topics which include; driver licensing, professional drivers, vehicle safety, vehicle registration and inspection, insurance regulation, post-crash, and safe roads. 

A public database can ban be used by decision-makers, researchers, and non-profit organizations for legislation development, research, and advocacy purposes. It can also be used for country improvement in laws and regulations. Through the data that will be available, organizations can generate specific research to inform decision-makers on the most suitable legal frameworks for their countries.

The Request for Information (RFI) will conduct market research to identify firms capable of providing solutions for identifying suppliers, gathering data, and understanding the related industry.

MORE INFORMATION HERE

In 2022, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) adopted Resolution A/RES/76/137 to promote and engage young people in the policymaking process and plans through the UN Youth Strategy. Through the resolution, the UN calls on Member States to affirm their commitment and investment with and for young people to address the targets of the Agenda 2030.

“The Resolution reaffirms the commitment of Heads of State and Governments in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind, including youth, while also emphasizing the importance of implementing, following up on, and reviewing strategies that adequately address youth issues and give all young people, as well as youth and youth-led organizations, real opportunities for full, effective, constructive and sustainable participation in society, including in relevant decision-making processes and monitoring, in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life, including in designing and implementing policies, programmes, and initiatives, in particular, while implementing the 2030 Agenda. The Youth Agenda reiterates that the primary responsibility for implementing the World Programme of Action for Youth lies with the Member States and urges Governments, in consultation with youth, youth-led and youth-focused organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to develop integrated, holistic, inclusive, and effective youth policies and programmes as well as coherent cross-sectoral efforts.”

I was honored to attend the inaugural meeting of the WHO Youth Council held in Geneva from the 27th to the 30th of January representing YOURS – Youth for Road Safety. I got the chance to see how different UN Agencies and multilateral stakeholders are taking steps forward to ensure action with and for youth.

About the Youth Council-  WHO
This energetic and inspiring network counts 22 youth-led organizations and young people from health and other development goals backgrounds fostered by WHO. The role of the Youth Council is to collaborate with the Director General and WHO Senior Leadership to promote public health by ensuring a meaningful youth engagement strategy. 

“The Youth Council is the central element of WHO’s commitment to engage with young people, by supporting their leadership, promoting partnerships, and advocating for their recognition and visibility,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Your voices and your insights can make a real difference to realizing WHO’s vision of Health for All.”

We developed plans and creative proposals during the meeting to shape #HealthforAll. We also met with different colleagues from WHO to see possible synergies and other opportunities to support one another.

The Council is organized into working groups. YOURS is part of the  Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Department along with other similar organizations. From the YOURS side, we will promote road safety and sustainable mobility and prevent road traffic injuries from taking the lives of young people and other vulnerable road users.  

Dr. Tedros shared with us his comments and feedback on the proposals created by the Council to support meaningful youth engagement in a co-leadership role with him to address #HealthforAll. He also told us that having a kind mindset is always a good starting point for engaging the discussion and learning from each other. He encouraged us to lead the global health agenda together. 

At YOURS, we believe that the time is now to work and include young people in the policymaking process to contribute, demand, and deliver road safety policies.  We are working closely with different partners and networks at the local and global levels. We work with young advocates and partners like FIA Foundation, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth (OSGEY),  and WHO.

To support policymakers and young networks, YOURS has developed a toolkit that explains different steps and methodologies on how to meaningfully engage young people in the design and implementation of public policies. You can find more information here.

The Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, on the other hand, has been working on different policy briefs on climate, gender equality, and education that explains the linkages between road safety and the broader development agenda. It also discusses how young leaders have the power and knowledge to make policy change happen at the grassroots level. 

At YOURS, we believe that the time is now to work and include young people in the policymaking process to contribute, demand, and deliver road safety policies.  We are working closely with different partners and networks at the local and global levels. We work with young advocates and partners like FIA Foundation, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth (OSGEY),  and WHO.

To support policymakers and young networks, YOURS has developed a toolkit that explains different steps and methodologies on how to meaningfully engage young people in the design and implementation of public policies. You can find more information here.

The Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, on the other hand, has been working on different policy briefs on climate, gender equality, and education that explains the linkages between road safety and the broader development agenda. It also discusses how young leaders have the power and knowledge to make policy change happen at the grassroots level.

YOURS is growing! With the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and our strategic plans in place for the next five years, we are bringing on capable new team members to help support our mission of working with and for young people to demand and deliver road safety and sustainable mobility. This week, Kenneth Mulinde joins the team as our new Senior Communications Manager. Welcome, Kenny!

Kenneth is a creative activist committed to working with young people and ensuring road safety. He previously served in the communications and advocacy departments of different local and international organizations. His work revolved around other developmental spheres which included; delivering human rights-based programming, supporting youth-led struggles for social inclusion and justice, and general advocacy efforts for the delivery of public services.

In 2020, he got involved in road safety activism and began introducing hundreds of young people in Uganda to the world of youth-led road safety and sustainable mobility efforts. As a result, he has helped recruit a  number of youth leaders to the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety and he has supported a number of road safety awareness and advocacy campaigns led by YOURS.

As a member of the Youth Coalition, Kenneth has led two successful Local Actions projects that have empowered youth in his area to creatively express their demands for safer roads and more sustainable transport systems to local leaders. 

As senior communications manager, Kenneth is responsible for overseeing the creation, development, and timely implementation of the organizational and all project communications. In collaboration with the Project Managers and the Directors,  Kenneth will ensure communications are in line with the YOURS strategic plan and advocacy messages. He will be responsible for effectively communicating our impact and helping drive our project goals.

Welcome aboard, Kenny! 

MEET THE REST OF OUR TEAM 

The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety is holding the Eighth Global Meeting of non-governmental organizations advocating for road safety and road victims in El Salvador from the 6th to the 10th of March 2023. The event will be co-hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Vice-Minister of Transportation of El Salvador, His Excellency Saul Antonio Castelar Contreras.

The Eight Global Meeting
The Meeting will be a hybrid event so that multiple stakeholders and the wider NGO community can participate. It will feature capacity-building opportunities, inspiration from safe mobility experts, and a high-level symposium from key influencers from governments, multilateral organizations, the private sector, and academia.

Through the Meeting, road safety leaders and organizations will be able to explore the linkages between road safety, safe mobility, and other key global challenges addressed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and focus on accountability for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.

The Global Meeting is an avenue for road safety NGOs to come together and trigger stronger action to halve the number of road-related deaths by 2030 and call for action to guarantee that every person has access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable mobility. 

Rethinking road safety: mobility for people and planet
The Meeting will feature different topics in its agenda. It will cover topics around advocacy and accountability for evidence-based actions, organizational strengthening, and safe mobility as an enabler for the SDGs. It will include a symposium that features areas focused on the theme of “rethinking mobility”.

Through the Meeting, road safety NGOs will also partake in the UN Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) Meeting organized by the WHO followed by an Accountability Toolkit Session that will improve the delivery of services of the different organizations.

The Global Meeting partners include WALK 21, the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), iRAP – International Road Assessment Programme, and the International Road Federation (IRF).

REGISTER TO THE EIGHT GLOBAL MEETING HERE

Last week, we participated in the World Health Organization (WHO) Youth Council Inaugural meeting. Our Advocacy Director, Stefania Minniti, represented us and joined other representatives from diverse youth organizations from both health and non-health backgrounds. As a unit, the Youth Council will provide advice to and actively engage with the WHO Director-General and WHO Senior Leadership.

Below is a Statement from the WHO:

“The Youth Council is the central element of WHO’s commitment to engage with young people, by supporting their leadership, promoting partnerships, and advocating for their recognition and visibility,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Youth voices and your insights can make a real difference to realizing WHO’s vision of health for all” 

The Youth Council will provide advice on health and development issues affecting young people, actively engaging the WHO Director-General and senior WHO leadership. It will serve as a platform for designing and incubating new initiatives as well as expanding WHO’s existing youth engagement activities. Through the Youth Council, WHO will develop an inclusive Youth Engagement Strategy across all levels of the organization.

During the four-day meeting, the Youth Council members discussed key priorities and work plans to accelerate progress on universal health coverage, noncommunicable diseases, mental health, and youth leading for health. They interacted with the WHO Director-General, Chair of the WHO Executive Board, Dr. Kerstin Vesna Petrič, and other senior WHO leaders to brainstorm on concrete initiatives.

Several key outcomes of the meeting include:

1. agreeing on mechanisms for making partnership opportunities accessible to young people across the globe through the networks represented by the Youth Council members and beyond;
2. identifying avenues to establish channels for the Youth Council to showcase their work during key WHO meetings and collaborative events;
3. exploring gaps in the availability of data on health inequity issues of young people and identifying WHO technical support to report these gaps; and
4. developing a proposal to engage with WHO Member States. As a first step, the Youth Council identified opportunities for the inclusion of youth delegates as part of delegations from Member States and develop mechanisms to integrate youth delegate programmes with support from WHO leadership.

ACCESS ORIGINAL STATEMENT HERE

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa has the worst rate of road traffic accidents anywhere in the world. Earlier this month, a severe road crash was reported in Senegal which wounded 24 and killed another 20. BBC World covered the crash in a piece called Focus on Africa. To put things in perspective, we had a chat with one of our youth leaders based in Nigeria, Simon Patrick Obi, to talk about the situation in the region.

Road Safety in Africa
It has been recorded that Africa has a fatality rate of 26.6 deaths per 100,000 – three times the recorded rate in Europe. In our conversation, Simon shares that there are several interconnected reasons behind the region’s high road crash fatality rate. For one, Simon notes that poor education and road traffic regulation contribute greatly to the lack of road safety. 

He also notes that there are factors that need to work together so that people are kept safe on African roads. He says; 

“There are three factors that are responsible for road safety; the mechanical factor which has to do with the conditions of the vehicle, the environmental factor which has to do with the condition of the road, and the human factor which has to do with the behavior and attitude of the road users.”

Simon does acknowledge that there are obstacles faced by the African region in implementing road safety policies – obstacles which include funding for road infrastructure. “The funding available is not sufficient to respond to the ever-growing challenges of road safety due to the increased motorization in the continent.” 

What can be done? 
Despite the current road safety situation in the region, Simon sees that there are steps that can be taken to address the current traffic issues. 

“In terms of solutions that government should adopt, I would say that government should imbibe community actions in developing and implementing interventions. For instance, road crashes are the single biggest killer of young people – this means that interventions in policy which do not involve young people will likely lead to little or no results.”

He emphasizes the need to have inclusive strategies and policies in road safety to address the needs of all road users in the region.

Sharing some best practices, Simon talks about Ethiopia and how it adopted a non-motorized transport strategy that will improve sustainable mobility and reduce road crashes affecting vulnerable road users such as young people.

He shared how Nigeria is also doing its part to end road traffic deaths through the creation of lead agencies in charge of road safety through the Management of Road Safety Affairs.”

Simon ends by emphasizing that there is still more work to be done in efforts for more inclusive road safety strategies. Young people need to be involved.

LISTEN TO BBC’S FOCUS ON AFRICA