The #StreetsforLife #Love30 campaign was organized under the auspices of the UN Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) for the 6th UN Global Road Safety Week by the World Health Organization, FIA Foundation, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety, and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety. The campaign focused on a specific objective: promoting and advocating for 30 km/h (20 mph) streets where people live, walk and play. The low-speed interventions were framed as life-saving, low-cost and achievable measures to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries and facilitate multiple benefits for health, environment and equity. Through the campaign, UNRSC members, NGOs, youth activists and others in at least 53 countries around the world were mobilized to advocate for endorsements of and commitments for 30 km/h speed limits.

As a result of the campaign, long-lasting efforts spearheaded by local NGOs are being seen on a global scale. The process toward national policies for 30 km/h limits where people walk, live, and play has been initiated in several countries. Meanwhile, reduced speed limits in local streets and zones are being implemented in cities around the world.

His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent said, “This highly effective campaign is an outstanding example of how collaboration between NGOs can make a real difference.”

“My colleagues and I are proud supporters of the #StreetsforLife #Love30 campaign”, notes Dr Etienne Krug, Director of the Department for Social Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization. “Low-speed streets in urban areas are among the most effective measures. Congratulations to all involved for this highly successful campaign which is an inspiration for cities everywhere.”

Saul Billingsley, Executive Director of the FIA Foundation, said: “#StreetsforLife has been a hugely impactful campaign, one which has caught the imagination and delivered the message incredibly effectively. It is a simple, yet powerful concept, calling upon policy makers to deliver low-speed, liveable streets for all. The call to action gained support at the highest levels, and across cities and countries around the world. It was heartening to see policy makers commit to real change as a result. Working in coalition with NGOs, youth advocates and campaigners, we’re immensely proud of this initiative. This is just the start, however. Let’s hope we can build on this success, continuing to push for real transformation and lives saved.”

Floor Lieshout, Executive Director, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety said, “The #StreetsforLife campaign has been exemplary for what synergetic international collaboration can do. The trust, passion and partnership between all stakeholders has made this 6th UN Global Road Safety Week a great success. A massive congratulations to all who shaped, supported and took part in the campaign. Together we will continue our #Love30 journey and hold our leaders accountable to create 30 km/h streets where people and traffic mix.”

Lotte Brondum, Executive Director, Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety said, “This award is a testament to the value of local advocates, speaking on behalf of their communities and making a tangible impact with their decision makers to save lives. I congratulate each and every NGO, youth activist, and others who took part in the campaign and encourage them to continue their call for 30 km/h in their streets, cities, and countries.”

Last Sunday, 21 November, the Brahma Kumaris Transport Wing in India held a live stream event for World Day of Remembrance. The transport and travel wing of Brahma Kumaris is involved in the field of education and value-based progress in the transportation, travel, and tourism sectors. YOURS – Youth for Road Safety Head of Communications, Manpreet Darroch, joins the dignitaries to commemorate the victims of road crashes around the world. 

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 
The World Day of Remembrance is an international event commemorating the victims of road crashes around the world. It also supports the families and friends who have experienced the loss of a loved one because of this tragedy.

Different groups and organizations around the world organize different activities to raise awareness of the road crash epidemic and call on governments and stakeholders to address these issues to save lives on the road.

For the day, Brahma Kumaris organized a collective and meditative session, touching more on the collective connection between the community. BK Kavita, Coordinator of Brahma Kamaris’s Road Safety Initiative, talks about how the global community has a shared responsibility when it comes to protecting our friends and families on the road. 

“The safe decisions we make or do not make determines not only our safety but the safety of all travelers as well.” – BK Kavita. 

The rest of the speakers, coming from nine different countries, talked about the road safety situation in their countries. They shared the challenges of implementing road safety policies., the best practices they were able to implement, and the work that is still to be done

Youth and road safety
During his intervention, YOURS Head of Communications Manpreet Darroch, talked about road crashes as the leading killer of youth worldwide. From the 1.3 million deaths recorded by the World Health Organization, Manpreet emphasized that more than a thousand of those are youth aged 16 to 29.

“This is not just an alarming statistic but is also representing a dream not realized, it represents a family that’s been shattered and an empty seat at the dinner table, an empty space in a community that can no longer be filled. Every death is an injustice to every young people I’ve met from around the world”

He also talked about the young leaders from Belize who recounted experiences of how they lost up to four of their friends to road crashes. These young leaders decided to take action to make sure that this tragedy never happens again. Through YOURS, the organization Belizean Youths for Road Safety (BYRS) was established. The BYRS is a non-profit organization that specializes
in the facilitation of workshops for youth in Belize. 

“Every day, we lose a future activist, an artist, a doctor, a change maker to a man-made epidemic that really needs real action” – Manpreet Darroch. 

At the end of his intervention, Manpreet invited young people who want to take action for road safety to join the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety.

The Coalition provides its members with tools, resources, partnerships, and more to support them in creating and implementing road safety projects in their communities with the goal of reducing the number of road-related deaths and injuries by the year 2030. 

JOIN THE GLOBAL YOUTH COALITION 

Earlier on 11 November, the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) with AIP Foundation, the Automobile Association Vietnam, FIA, and FIA Foundation held a Star Rating for Schools webinar to show how to practically apply the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) methodology that was developed by iRap through “hands-on” examples in Vietnam.

Star Rating for Schools
The Star Rating for Schools methodology is an evidence-based tool for measuring, managing, and communicating the risk children are exposed to on their journey to school. It supports quick interventions that save lives and prevent serious injuries.

The webinar featured speakers Greig Craft from the AIP Foundation, Rob McInerny from iRAP, Rita Cuypers from FIA Foundation, Rafaela Machado from iRAP, Hong Bui from the AIP Foundation, and Minh Vo from the AIP Foundation and the Youth Coalition. It was moderated by Quy Linh Ngunyen.

Rafaela Machado discussed the SR4S methodology, focusing on how to undertake and implement school assessments guided by their toolkit. She presented a simplified way of starting the project from building the foundation to communicating and scaling up the outcomes. The SR4S is a free tool that you can find on the S4RS website.

“Through the different tools we have in the programme – the web application, the mobile application, and the paper form – it is possible to collect information about different road attributes,” -Rafaela Machado. 

SR4S: Hands-on examples 
In Vietnam, efforts to implement the SR4S methodology are being led by the AIP Foundation. To talk about the practical work of infrastructure assessment, stakeholder engagement, challenges, and lessons learned during the effective implementation and advocacy for policy change in Vietnam using SR4S. 

She talked about the key road safety issues AIP Foundation identified throughout Vietnam, with a focus on providing a safe environment for pedestrians as well as children and youth. Through the SR4S tools, AIP Foundation was able to streamline the process of assessing schools – from going through a four-step process of taking photos, observing pedestrians, going through checklists, and conducting interviews – the organization now utilizes the SR4S methodology for compiling important data on road user behavior and road infrastructure. 

Minh also gave specific examples of how the SR4S tools helped with the Slow Zone, Safe Zone programme – an initiative focused on creating safer infrastructure and reducing speeds around school zones. 

Learn more about Star Rating for Schools by going to their website! 

VISIT STAR RATING FOR SCHOOLS WEBSITE 

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.