YOURS Executive Director Floor Lieshout and YOURS Communications Officer Maolin Macatangay join the House of Representatives’ Standing Committee on Transport 1^st Meeting with the theme “Towards the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety: Sharing Responsibilities, Engaging Young People” last Friday, September 17, to talk about YOURS, the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, and meaningful youth participation. 

Sharing Responsibilities, Engaging Young People
According to the Thailand House of Representatives, road traffic injuries continue to be a public health and security thread for Thailand throughout the last decade. They note that road crashes are responsible for 20,000 deaths and one million injuries every year.

Despite efforts to improve the situation, the Global Status Report for Road Safety still reports Thailand to be one of the top ten countries with the highest road traffic deaths. According to data from the House of Representatives, one in three road traffic deaths in Thailand involved young people aged between 15 – 29 years old. Data from Thailand’s Department of Disease Control reports that the last decade has seen the loss of 53,000 young people to road crashes.

The Thailand Government has demonstrated efforts to save lives on their roads; the Master Plan for Road Safety (2017 – 2020) includes targets to promote road safety behaviors among young people. They have also enforced measures to curb drink driving by limiting the alcohol consumption of drivers through the Alcohol Control Act.

There are still some gaps that remain when it comes to addressing road crashes. Following significant developments on road safety at a global level and the local situation of road traffic deaths In Thailand, the Standing Committee on Transport of the House of Representatives organized a meeting following the theme “Toward the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety: Sharing Responsibilities, Engaging Youth” 

YOURS Intervention 
The House of Representatives invited YOURS – Youth for Road Safety to talk about interventions to engage and involve young people in road safety efforts in a session titled Young People and International Road Safety. To begin, YOURS Executive Director Floor Lieshout talked about the philosophy that guides YOURS in efforts to meaningfully engage and involve young people.

Under the Conference of Parties or COP, the UNFCCC – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change also organized side events under All4Climate – an opportunity that provides different stakeholders with the opportunity to contribute to COP. YOURS – Youth for Road Safety, the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, Restless Development, and FIA Foundation will be leading an official side event titled Move4Change: Mobilizing youth for the converging agendas of safe, active, and sustainable mobility and air quality for tackling climate change on Thursday, September 30 at 3 pm CET. 

Why is All4Climate Important
All4Climate encompasses a full lineup of climate events taking place in Italy. The goal of the event is to make 2021 the landmark year for climate ambition. It also aims to foster proactive dialogue on the challenges of the climate crisis and deliver on the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

The event sheds light on different issues young people face connected to climate. The Youth Climate Series emphasized that for years, young people have been calling for climate action pointing out the urgent need to take significant steps to address the climate issue. Through activities like #Youth4ClimateLive, All4Climate has driven real ambition toward climate action from young people, governments, and other stakeholders.

Through the event, engagement of young people and stakeholders and continued efforts to fight climate change is ensured through different fields and avenues. It will also establish important connections between different fields such as road safety, sustainable mobility, youth, climate, and more.

Young people will also be able to discuss and highlight the projects and initiatives they’re working on to support climate efforts within their respective fields, Through this, they will be able to connect and network with peers for possible partnerships to work on their efforts together.

How mobility and climate are connected
Under the Global Youth Statement for Road Safety, young people are demanding safe and sustainable transport to combat the climate crisis. “Let us breathe!”

Increased development and improvement of transportation services have resulted in a concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Transportation is one of the main sources of carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Because of this, it is important for stakeholders to provide more sustainable modes of transport and to design cities that promote streets for life.

Addressing road safety and mobility issues result in streets for life as emphasized during the 6^th UN Road Safety Week this year. By ensuring that communities have access to safe and sustainable mobility, carbon emissions will be reduced and will result in lower levels of air pollution.

Cleaner, more livable, and sustainable cities will also give children and the rest of the community the opportunity to walk, run, jog, cycle, and play in cities without having to fear road crashes.

The demands of youth
The members of the Coalition call for sustainable cities, more sustainable modes of transport, and climate action in the Global Youth Statement for Road Safety. Under the Youth Statement, young people point out that “there is no Planet B” emphasizing the need for safe and sustainable transport systems that combat the climate crisis. “Let us breathe!”

Under the Youth Manifesto, which gathers the demands of young people under the Global Goals, youth express; “we are overcome by despair when we realize that the climate change clock is ticking… how can we be hopeful for the future when we see forests constantly burn and oceans constantly rise?”

To address this, young people are taking action as individuals and as members of organizations taking charge to address issues around road safety and climate change.

Learn more about how road safety and climate are connected and how young people are taking charge by signing up for our event!

REGISTER TO THE EVENT

As part of the events under the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference scheduled this November 2021, the UNFCCC – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change also organizes side events under All4Climate – an opportunity that provides different stakeholders with the opportunity to contribute to COP.

All4Climate side events
All4Climate was launched by the Italian Ministry for Ecological Transition, the World Bank Group’s Connect4Climate, the Lombardy Region, and the Municipality of Milan. It encompasses the full lineup of climate events taking place during the Conference of Parties (COP) happening in Italy. The goal of the event is to make this year (2021) a landmark year for climate ambition and to foster proactive dialogue on the challenges of the climate crisis.

To support this, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety, the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, Restless Development, and FIA Foundation have partnered to raise awareness and promote meaningful youth participation in decision-making spaces to demand action on the most pressing issues impacting youth globally.

Move4Change
The event led by YOURS along with Restless Development and FIA Foundation is titled Move4Change: Mobilizing Youth for the Converging Agendas of Safe, Active, and Sustainable Mobility and Air Quality for Tackling Climate Change.

The event will bring together youth leaders, policymakers, and decision-makers from around the world to talk about the environment, climate action, public health, and road safety. Through an intergenerational dialogue, participants will share their ideas on how to implement safe, active, and sustainable mobility to end road traffic deaths and serious injuries, reduce transport emissions and mitigate climate change.

The format of the event will be a round table/debate where policymakers and decision-makers will share their initiatives that converge agendas and promote safe, active, and sustainable transportation in their cities. Young leaders will then share their own and their peers’ perceptions and what should be done to improve the situation. Together they will also discuss the importance of meaningful participation. Our aim is to find solutions amidst different backgrounds and perspectives.

Key actions discussed by youth leaders, policymakers, and decision-makers will be extracted and translated into a document that can be adopted by governments to tackle climate change and reduce premature deaths from road crashes and air pollution. This document will be shared with leaders attending the Ministerial Pre-COP.

REGISTER TO MOVE4CHANGE HERE

Congratulations to all the winners of the Art for Road Safety Challenge! Big up to Rital Khasawneh for winning the challenge on Egypt Week, the team of Musa Ssempebwa, Patrick Musoke Hillington, Ronald Kushemererwa, and Steven Kyalire Fred for Uganda Week, and Pierre Sada Sarr for Senegal Week! The winners were selected young people from all over the world through the Global Youth Coalition’s Instagram account. The submission with the most likes/views wins the challenge for the respective week.

Last June 15, the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety and TotalEnergies Foundation launched the Art for Road Safety campaign- the first art challenge for safer mobility in the African continent. The campaign was set in Egypt, Uganda, and Senegal. 

From June 6 to July 22, the Coalition featured different artists every week to raise awareness on road safety issues that include the dangers of speeding and the importance of wearing a helmet. 

The first week featured Ahmed Fathy (Elna2ash), an internationally celebrated graffiti artist. The challenge was to recreate his piece that shows the dangers of speeding with the tagline “life has no reset button”.

Rital Khasawneh from Jordan won the first-week challenge by recreating Elna2ash’s graffiti in a drawing where she illustrates a vehicle and the damage it could get with every increase in speed the driver takes. Rital was awarded some art supplies.

The second week featured Sylar Robert Ssempijja, a dancer, breakdancer, choreographer, and teacher. The challenge was to recreate his dance to the song Yambala Helmet produced by Youth Arts Movement Uganda. The challenge received submissions from different parts of Africa, both with individual submissions and group submissions.

The winner for Uganda week was a group submission by Musa Ssempebwa, Patrick Musoke Hillington, Ronald Kushemererwa, and Steven Kyalire Fred. The group each received a motorcycle helmet for gathering the most views and likes during Uganda Week. 

The final week featured Dieynaba Sidibé (Zeinixx) – the first female graffiti artist in Senegal who is internationally known for her mural work that highlights women empowerment. The challenge for Senegal week was to recreate Zeinixx’s mural that emphasized the importance of low-speed streets. The mural featured a large 30 sign that is reflective of this year’s theme for the 6th UN Global Road Safety Week – #StreetsforLife – which advocates for 30 km/h streets worldwide.

The winner for the Art for Road Safety challenge, Senegal Week, was Pierre Sada Sarr. He received a bike kit and a graffiti kit.

The objective of the art for road safety challenge was to get more young people in efforts to promote road safety and get more young people involved through an artistic intervention like graffiti, drawings, and dance. 

With this, young people can take ownership of road safety issues in their areas and become local ambassadors in the most creative and original way possible.

WATCH ART FOR ROAD SAFETY CAP OFF VIDEO 

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the official global launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030 along with its Global Plan. 

We republished the article here: 

In September 2020, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/74/299 “Improving global road safety”, proclaiming the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, with the ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. WHO and the UN regional commissions, in cooperation with other partners in the UN Road Safety Collaboration, have developed a Global Plan for the Decade of Action, to be released in October 2021.   

The Global Plan aligns with the Stockholm Declaration, by emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to road safety, and calling on continued improvements in the design of roads and vehicles; enhancement of laws and law enforcement; and provision of timely, life-saving emergency care for the injured. 

The Global Plan also reflects the Stockholm Declaration’s promotion of policies to promote walking, cycling and using public transport as inherently healthy and environmentally sound modes of transport. Progress made during the previous Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 has laid the foundation for accelerated action in the years ahead. Among achievements are inclusion of road safety on the global health and development agenda, broad dissemination of scientific guidance on what works, strengthening of partnerships and networks, and mobilization of resources. This new Decade of Action provides an opportunity for harnessing the successes and lessons of previous years and building upon them to save more lives.

DOWNLOAD UN RESOLUTION FOR IMPROVING GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY

On 21-22 October, IRF will be hosting its annual autumn conference online under the theme “Innovation: Charting Pathways to Sustainable Mobility”. With fast-growing populations leading to significant urbanisation, the demand for new transport infrastructure is predicted to see massive growth in coming decades. The new challenges: the increasing expectations of businesses, service users, and the public and the need to reduce carbon emissions and waste.

The International Road Federation (IRF) is a global, independent, not-for-profit organization with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Active since 1948, IRF is a membership-based organization, representing leading corporate and institutional players drawn from the road and mobility sectors worldwide. Its mission is to promote the development of roads and road networks that enable access and sustainable mobility for all. Its approach is centered on key strategic components of knowledge transfer & information sharing, connecting people, businesses, and organizations, and working with policy & advocacy. 

Its annual conference titled Innovation: Charting Pathways to Sustainable Mobility means finding innovative ways to fulfill the need of building new roads, maintaining, upgrading, and operating the existing road network while aligning these actions with the provisions of the Paris Agreement – targeting lower greenhouse gases – and those of the SDGs looking for an equitable, safe and sustainable mobility for all.

Our collective task: create a truly safe, sustainable, and efficient multi-modal transportation system. For this to happen, we need to learn to think and do things differently.

The arrival of new digital technologies is enabling efficiency improvements in existing transport systems, as well as making them more user-friendly and sustainable. Integration across transport networks and modes is driven by the growing ability to make real-time system data and information available to operators and users.

None of the extraordinary mobility changes we are witnessing would be possible without proper infrastructure. Yet transforming mobility requires more than just technology and infrastructure. Transforming mobility requires innovation on all fronts: in the way we think, we plan, we design, and we deliver and manage transport systems.

REGISTER HERE