United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres recently released Resolution A/76/348: Improving Global Road Safety. The report highlights and acknowledges activities carried out in support of the new Decade of Action’s target of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. The report was prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in consultation with the United Nations. 

Road safety report
The report on improving road safety provides a global overview of the progress made toward achieving the objectives in the new Decade of Action for Road Safety. The activities presented in the report include the development of the Global Plan of Action to assist countries in the development of their own plans, advocacy activities to sustain political will throughout the Decade, and support for implementation efforts.

The report also provides information on the avenues to monitor progress on achieving the Decade’s objectives and a list of recommendations for the review and consideration of the General Assembly. 

YOURS – Youth for Road Safety is among the organizations acknowledged in the report because of its activities centered around empowering youth. 

Our road safety efforts: Youth for Road Safety
The efforts of YOURS – Youth for Road Safety were among the programs hailed that helped improve road safety around the world. The report listed three key activities; the Youth Stars Programme, the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, and the Movin’ On Summit. 

The Youth Stars Programme is an initiative by YOURS and iRAP – International Road Assessment Programme that seeks to equip young leaders in Belize, Colombia, Kenya, the United States, and Vietnam with the tools and knowledge to conduct star rating assessments of the roads around schools and universities through the Star Rating for Schools application. The young leaders from the initial run of the Youth Star Programme have become Master Trainers and have passed the knowledge to assess roads to the members of the Coalition. 

Last week from the 1^st to the 5^th of November, Coalition member and SDG Champion Omnia el Omrani attended the United Nations Climate Conference of the Parties (COP26) to represent the Coalition and establish the link between road safety and climate. COP26 is a formal negotiation session for different countries and stakeholders to advance their climate commitments and actions.

Connecting climate and road safety
Prior to COP26, the Global Youth Coalition and FIA Foundation held an official Pre-COP side event that talks about the convergence of climate and mobility. During the session, speakers and panelists talked about how the prioritization of sustainable cities and alternative modes of transport can contribute to the reduction of harmful transport emissions that exacerbate the climate condition.

In the Global Youth Statement for Road Safety, young people are demanding the need for safer and more sustainable transport systems to combat the climate crisis. Youth have pointed out that unworthy vehicles have caused air pollution that affected the quality of their health and their way of living.

The global community has begun to see and establish the links between climate and road safety especially during the recent UN Global Road Safety Week themed #Love30: Streets for Life. The celebration highlighted how creating safer roads with different modes of transport contributes to streets that are greener, healthier, and more livable – streets where vulnerable road users are safe and where children can live and play.

Climate Policy Brief
To strengthen the connections between road safety and climate change, the Coalition’s SDG champions came together to write policy briefs that link road safety with the other Sustainable Development Goals.

During COP26, Omnia brought the Climate Policy Brief to present to the leaders, decision-makers, and other delegates. The policy brief emphasizes the lack of action when it comes to reducing emissions and addressing road traffic crashes as the leading killer of young people worldwide.

The document demands leaders and decision-makers to accelerate the implementation of policies for safe, sustainable and decarbonized transportation. 

As a call to action, the Coalition through the policy brief, calls on governments, civil society organizations, youth-led organizations, and other stakeholders to prioritize the acceleration of efforts and commitments to achieve net-zero carbon transportation and integrate the creation of more sustainable cities in local and global plans. 

Read more by accessing our policy brief. 

READ OUR CLIMATE POLICY BRIEF 

Global Youth Coalition Member and SDG Champion, Omnia El Omrani, represents the Coalition in the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties or COP26.  The Conference is an avenue for governments, organizations, individuals, and other stakeholders to have formal negotiation sessions to talk about climate issues, commitments, and actions. As a delegate, Omnia will bring forward the road safety demands of young people as it connects with climate change. 

Climate Policy Brief: Connecting road safety with SDG 13 
Earlier this year, the Coalition through the SDG Champions, highlight the road safety targets within the other Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, the Coalition has twelve SDG Champions each working on connecting road safety with the following global goals; SDG 3: Health, SDG 4: Education, SDG 5: Gender Equality, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities, and SDG 13: Climate.

For COP26, Omnia is bringing our Climate Policy Brief titled There is No Planet B: Safe and sustainable transport to tackle the climate emergency and save lives. The Policy Brief was written by Coalition SDG 13 Champion, Soumita Chakraborty with the support of the Coalition.

The Climate Policy Brief highlights one of the demands written in the Global Youth Statement for Road Safety. In the Youth Statement, young people demand safe and sustainable transport systems to combat the climate crisis. “Let us breathe!”

The policy brief talks about how unsustainable modes of transport contribute heavily to the emission of harmful C02 and other GHG emissions. Apart from road crashes being the leading killer of young people, the pollution caused by cars and other vehicles also put vulnerable road users in danger in terms of air quality.

Apart from listing down important details around the challenges young people face, the policy brief also presents a call to action for governments, civil society organizations, young people, and youth-led organizations.

Cities 4 Children: Our climate, our future – an intergenerational dialogue
During COP26, Omnia will join an intergenerational dialogue led by Cities 4 Children, themed “Our climate, our future”.

The Global Alliance- Cities 4 Children is made up of a coalition of organizations working across health, nutrition, climate change, road safety, air quality, migration, urban design, and child and youth participation.

The session will bring together the voices of children, youth, mayors, practitioners, and organizations to discuss child well-being in cities. The session will also explore replicable projects that can tackle the climate emergency across different regions around the world.

The session will be moderated by Chris Michael, a journalist from the Guardian and served as a former Cities Editor. During the session, Omnia will join Global Lead of Save the Children – Sarah Sabry, former refugee – Emi Mahmoud, Founder of Green Generation Initiative and Head of Campaigns at Wangari Maathai Foundation – Elizabeth Wathuti, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand – Helen Clark, and more.

The session will be streamed live on Youtube on Thursday, 11 November, at 2 pm BST. 

WATCH SESSION HERE

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) is currently underway, beginning from 31 October until 12 November. News about the Conference has dominated local and global headlines, highlighting the call of different sectors to take action in regard to the climate crisis. But what exactly is COP26?

Conference of the Parties (COP26) 
COP26 is a formal negotiation session for different countries from around the world to advance their climate commitments and actions. It also serves as a forum for stakeholders, partners, and other sectors to gather and talk about the challenges and issues brought on by the climate crisis while also exploring and discussing potential solutions that can be applied and implemented. 

Pre-events for COP26 which include Pre-COP and the Conference of Youth (COY16) were launched to bring together youth leaders, policymakers, and decision-makers to gather on-the-ground issues around the climate situation through the experiences of different countries. 

The intergenerational dialogues held before COP26 resulted in statements from different organizations that present the main climate concerns groups and individuals face. It also puts forward recommendations and solutions on how to address the worsening conditions of climate change.

COP26 and its role for youth and road safety
The Global Youth Coalition participated in pre-events for COP26 which includes Move4Change: Mobilizing youth for the converging agendas of sustainable mobility, air quality, and climate change. The session featured speakers from different sectors to talk about how transportation and mobility connect with climate. 

The session highlighted the importance of having better modes of transport to create cities that are cleaner, greener, and healthier. Panelists also emphasized the importance of building sustainable cities that will facilitate more alternative modes of transport and lead to more livable streets. 

During COP26, the Coalition will be represented by one of its members, Omnia El Omrani. 

Omnia is bringing a Climate Policy Brief created by the Coalition’s SDG Champions to share with the attendees and delegates of the Conference. The Policy Brief brings attention to one of the climate demands listed in the Global Youth Statement that says There is No Planet B! 

COP26 will be a way to elevate the demands of young people when it comes to climate, road safety, and other development issues. Through the Global Youth Statement and our Policy Brief, we will elevate the struggles youth face in terms of road safety and other key issues under it; public health, education, inequalities, sustainable cities, and climate change. 

READ THE COALITION’S CLIMATE POLICY BRIEF

Simultaneous with the launch of the Global Plan led by the World Health Organization (WHO), members of the Global Youth Coalition from Uganda and Rwanda joined local handovers of the Global Plan to local governments, ministers, and decision-makers. Last week, October 28, Oliva Nalwadda and Kenneth Mulinde from Uganda and Nkumbuye Amie from Rwanda represented young people during handovers of the Plan.

As part of the launch of the Plan, road safety NGOs are arranging ceremonial handovers to get the plan directly into the hands of the decision-makers who are responsible for implementing it. After the handover, follow-ups will be done to make sure governments and other organizations are accountable to put the Plan into action.

Handovers in Uganda
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety through one of its partners, Hope for Victims of Traffic Accidents (HOVITA) Uganda, invited members of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety to represent young people during the handover ceremony of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety.

The Plan was passed down to representatives of the Ministry of Works and Transport. Included in the handover were the Minister of Works and Transport Hon. Edward Katumba Wamala, WHO representative Dr. Yonas Tegegn, and Executive Director of HOVITA Mr. Sam Bambanza. Coalition Youth Leadership Board Member, Oliva Nalwadda, gave remarks on the importance of meaningful youth engagement, highlighting the role of youth in the Plan as key stakeholders.

Handovers in Rwanda
In Rwanda, Coalition member Nkumbuye Amie represented young people during the handover ceremony. President of Health People Rwanda, Innocent Nzeyimana, MD, MMed led the session to explain the core elements of the new Decade of Action for Road Safety, adding how the Plan supports the achievement of the road safety targets listed in the document. In Rwanda, the Plan was handed over to the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The handover was facilitated through a private roundtable with key stakeholders including young people. The discussions sought to identify and engage decision-makers and organizations with responsibilities for road safety within the country.

The handovers, led by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, began on the 26^th of October and continues throughout November. Countries from all over the world are participating in the handover through public ceremonies, roundtable discussions, and even private meetings. 

READ ABOUT THE HANDOVERS 

Last week, October 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) through the Road Safety Collaboration launched the Global Plan in an online event. The session discussed the Global Plan for Road Safety, what it can be used for, how it can be used, and how it will aid in the achievement of road safety targets listed in the Decade of Action for Road Safety. 

The Global Plan
The Global Plan describes what is needed to achieve the road safety targets in the Decade of Action. It also calls on governments, partners, and other stakeholders to implement an integrated Safe Systems Approach in their local and global plans and projects.

The launch featured global road safety leaders from different sectors including WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, President of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa Vera Songwe, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt, and more.

During the launch, the different speakers emphasized the importance of the Plan in halving the number of road-related deaths and injuries by the year 2030. In his address, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus talked about how the Plan promotes safe walking, cycling, and mobility. He challenged all stakeholders to do their roles to implement the Global Plan. 

“[The Plan] calls on governments to provide the financial and human resources needed to achieve a 50% reduction In road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. It also calls on young people, academia, civil society, and the private sector to do their part in making mobility safe. The implementation of the global plan will be the focus of discussions during the 2022 high-level meeting on improving global road safety” – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Echoing his sentiments, President of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid encouraged governments and decision-makers to use the global plan to strengthen their road safety policies saying that it will help make roads that are healthier, greener, and more livable.

“This Global Plan will guide our efforts to make our roads safer in the coming years – saving lives and preventing serious injuries… It is up to us to deliver” – Abdulla Shahid. 

Meanwhile, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa Vera Songwe credits the Global Plan in addressing different road safety issues in low-and-middle-income countries, presenting strategies on how these issues could be approached. 

She shares her commitment to support member states in the implementation of the Plan.

Young people and the Global Plan
During the launch of the Plan, Global Youth Coalition Youth Leadership Board Member, Deepanshu Gupta, joins global road safety leaders to represent youth and the Coalition.

Other speakers during the launch showed support to the identification of young people as key stakeholders in efforts to achieve the road safety targets by the end of the Decade. In his speech, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt, shares his optimism with the Plan and the possibility of achieving the targets in the new Decade.

“The Global Plan offers the framework of actions needed for countries and civil societies to reach our target to halve road deaths and injuries by 2030. The Global Plan advocates for making the entire transport system safe, affordable, sustainable, and accessible to all”

During his intervention, Deepanshu highlights how the current generation of young people is the largest in the world and emphasizes how youth are included in the Global Plan.  

“For the first time, the Global Plan has identified youth as crucial stakeholders. I sincerely hope that all stakeholders associated with the cause should draw inspiration from the plan and involve youth meaningfully to save lives” -Deepanshu Gupta 

Deepanshu emphasized how young people, through the Global Youth Coalition, are taking action to address road safety issues at both local and global levels. He explained how members of the Coalition have come together for the mission of saving lives.

In the session, Deepanshu shares his expectations for intergenerational collaborations where decision-makers will work hand-in-hand with young people in all stages of planning and decision making – where there is no tokenism and where youth are given the opportunity for equal participation.

Global Ambassador of Child Health Initiative Zoleka Mandela closed the session by calling out world leaders for their inaction to address the road safety crisis.  “When our leaders know exactly what the solutions are, and those solutions are completely within their grasp, their lack of action is nothing short of disgraceful,” she said.

The Global Plan challenges all stakeholders to play their role in halving the number of road-related deaths and injuries by the year 2030. If you missed the launch, you can watch it again! 

WATCH LAUNCH OF GLOBAL PLAN