Earlier this week, 22 November, the World Health Organization (WHO) through the UN Road Safety Collaboration held a special live stream event to commemorate World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The stream was divided into three parts; Remember. Support. Act. Each focused on key actions the respective stakeholders are taking toward ending the loss of lives on the world’s roads.

The session was hosted by WHO Director for the Social Determinants of Health, Dr. Etienne Krug, and featured different road safety leaders and activists Zoleka Mandela from Child Health Initiative, Tshaka Campbell from Soul City Arts, Peter Frazer from the SARAH Group, Maolin Macatangay from YOURS – Youth for Road Safety, and Abdulla Shahid – president of the UN General Assembly.

The session began with Zoleka Mandela talking about the experience of losing a loved one in her daughter, Zenani, to a road crash. She called on governments to start acting to address road safety concerns around the world. She emphasized the importance of implementing 30 km/h speed limits and promoting low-speed streets to create spaces where everyone can walk, live, and play.

Peter Frazer also shared his experience of losing his daughter, Sarah, to a road crash. He recounted how the tragedy resulted in the creation of the SARAH Group – Safer Australian Roads and Highways – that now makes sure to keep children and other vulnerable road users safe.

Throughout the session, Tshaka Campbell performed a three-part poem about remembering road crash victims, supporting the families and friends of those who have been affected by road crashes, and acting to make sure that no one suffers the same tragedy again. “One life lost is one life too many,” – Dr. Etienne Krug.

The last segment, ACT, featured YOURS Communications Officer Maolin Macatangay. During her intervention, Mao talked about the Global Plan and how young people, through the Youth Coalition, are using it to strengthen their impacts on road safety in their regions and communities.

The session ended with Dr. Krug reiterating the necessity of governments working with different stakeholders to curb road-related deaths and injuries around the world. He also pointed out how crucial the involvement of youth is in achieving the targets in the new Decade of Action for Road Safety. 

WATCH THE SESSION AGAIN 

Last week, Coalition member and SDG Champion Omnia el Omrani joined two different panels for the United Nations Climate Conference of the Parties (COP26). The first was for the Presidency Event titled accelerating the ZEV Transition: A One-Way Street held on 10 November and the next was with the Global Alliance: Cities 4 Children titled Our Climate, Our Future on 11 November.

Road safety interventions
During both interventions, Omnia highlighted how transportation connects with climate and how addressing mobility issues would also contribute to curbing climate change. Omnia also talked about the need to meaningfully engage with young people not just in terms of understanding the situation on the ground and addressing it long-term but also because they will be the most affected by the policies. 

“As a young person who will be affected most by these policies, I call decision-makers to take action and make zero-emission vehicles the new normal” – Omnia el Omrani 

During the panel, Omnia joined different mobility leaders as they talked about alternate modes of transport and more sustainable modes of fuel. Together, policymakers and transportation stakeholders are committed to fighting climate through more environment-friendly innovations.

Cities 4 Children: Our Climate, Our Future
During her panel with Cities 4 Children, Omnia joined different leaders to talk about climate especially its effects on communities, children, young people, and other sectors. The session highlighted how crucial city design is for public health, emphasizing its effects and benefits for children.

Speakers like Elizabeth Wathuti, founder of the Green Generation Initiative, talked about how children and young people are taking matters into their own hands to address the climate issue and fight problems like deforestation. “By planting a tree, children are saying ‘I will not be a victim’”

Omnia joined youth leaders Daniel Onyango, Ana Malia Falemaka, Umesh Balal Magar, Nomundari Urantulga, and Katrina Lisnichuk to emphasize how the current climate situation is affecting young people. More than this, they discussed interventions young people have made through different organizations to start addressing these concerns.

“You have to be the person who starts a revolution. We need more of our young people involved to make the change. Young people are not taken seriously.”

Different perspectives were discussed when it came to cities, climate, and stakeholder intervention. At the end of the session, the panelists and speakers were asked whether they were optimistic about the future of climate, urban development, mobility, and the rest of the issues covered. To which Tim Gill answered “hopeful”. 

READ OUR CLIMATE POLICY BRIEF 

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