The 7th United Nations Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW) will be held from the 15th to the 21st of May this year. The theme #RethinkMobility calls on policymakers and decision-makers to make walking, cycling, and public transport safe and convenient, especially for vulnerable road users like youth, so that cities can shift to more active and sustainable modes of mobility. Use these resources to show your support.

Key Messages
This year’s UNGRSW wants to highlight the desperate need for governments and their partners to rethink mobility, to shift from car-centric cities to people-centric ones. The theme maintains that safety must be at the core of efforts to reimagine how we move in the world, focusing on the need for active and sustainable mobility.

Another key message saw the importance of safe road infrastructure, stating that road networks must be designed with vulnerable road users and the most at risk in mind – this means creating roads and streets that cater to the needs of young people, children, women, people with disabilities, and the elderly.

The theme, #RethinkMobility, emphasizes that safe walking and cycling can contribute can make people healthier, cities more sustainable, and societies more equitable. It also holds that safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable public transport is a solution for the many ills that society has. 

What can you do to get involved? 
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety shared a few activities you can do to support the 7th UNGRSW. We published them here; 

• Car-free days – Make a few key streets where people and vehicles usually mix (such as shopping streets), car-free for a day. Rather than just encouraging people to walk and cycle, car-free days create conditions where they can walk and cycle freely. Remember to get the necessary permissions well in advance and advertise your car-free day widely. (Involved: local authorities, NGOs, communities, media) 

• Decision makers “walking the talk” – Hold a media event or roundtable on public transport or with a decision maker or other public figure walking or cycling to show that it is a desirable way to travel. Decision makers (or influencers and celebrities) have a powerful influence on people’s perceptions. In many countries, people are not used to powerful people walking, cycling, and taking public transport. (Involved: decision makers/influencers/celebrities, journalists, NGOs)

• “Show and tell” your decision maker – Walk your decision-maker around the neighborhood. Show them what the problems are and what needs to be done to make your streets safe for walking and cycling. This activity could empower community groups, schools, and other groups to demand safety. It could also incorporate a record your journey element. (Involved: decision-makers, NGOs, community members, and leaders)

• Pop-up infrastructurePromote bicycle lanes or other active mobility infrastructure by selecting a street and implementing temporary pop-up infrastructure, making sure to get permission from the organizations or the agencies involved. (Involved: Local authorities, NGOs, community groups)

Find out what more you can do by going to the Alliance’s website. 

GET INVOLVED WITH THE 7TH UNGRSW

Join the World Health Organization (WHO) as it marks its 75th anniversary as a leading champion in public health by taking part in its online campaign. Use #WHO75 and #HealthForAll on socials to help celebrate the progress and raise awareness of the health challenges of today and tomorrow. Share this historic moment with audiences, fellow champions, and different partners!

This story is published by the World Health Organization; 

Health on Track
We are calling on everyone to join the campaign by sharing their health-related success story on social media. The idea is to use an image comparison of a health issue you used to struggle with and how far you’ve come, encouraging others in their journey to health. This can be a personal story of your health progress or how healthcare has improved in your lifetime. 

Ensure that there is a contrast between your “then” photo and your “now” photo to reflect progress. Tag WHO (@WHO) as you post on the social media platform of your choice and use the hashtags #WHO75 and #HealthForAll. Use WHO’s template 

I Care/We Care
This is a way for people to share why they care about #HealthforAll. Simply share a photo of yourself and a short message on why “I care” using this template. Post this on social media and tag @WHO while using the hashtag #HealthForAll. This also applies to organizations and partners with the “We Care” template.

Stickers
Simple and effective! We’ve created a collection of anniversary stickers celebrating 75 years. You can find them here to use in Canva content or you can search for them on Instagram to create a story. To search for the stickers, simply type in “Health on Track”, “I Care”, “We Care”, “#WHO75”, or “Health for All”. 

Reels
Have you ever stopped doom-scrolling and paused to check in on your mental health? If yes, then let’s use the WHO75 moment to promote calming Reels. We’ve created some exciting content for reels that focuses on mindfulness, mental health, well-being, and fun facts about health. 

You can find the original posts here to share on your social media. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN BY DOWNLOADING THE WHO75 KIT 

We’re excited to launch our next YOURS Academy module focusing on road safety and the broader development agenda. We welcome you to join us in the launch of the latest YOURS Academy module this  Wednesday 22nd March 2023 at 3 pm CET. This module paints a picture of how taking action on the road safety crisis can positively contribute to other public health challenges such as health, inequalities, climate action, sustainable cities, and education.

In this module, we will be unpacking the need for urgent investment and road safety strategies for action to facilitate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As requested by young leaders in the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, this next module speaks to the global nature of our work and how it contributes to sustainable development.

The SDGs are a collection of interlinked goals designed to serve as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. YOURS Academy is equipping, training, and preparing young people to advocate for policy change and action at the local, national, and global levels.  We work with individual activists and organized youth movements to design and implement proven solutions that contribute to the SDGs at the community and global levels. This module will provide youth with the skills and knowledge to connect their work to the SDGs and maximize their impact.

The SDGs that connect with road safety include; SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 5: Gender Equality, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities;  and SDG 13: Climate Action; This new module explores the connection between safe roads and the achievement of these SDGs and beyond.

Guess what? This is just the tip of the iceberg- more of the linkages between road safety and other Global Goals will be explained and discussed in the module.

Talking about the module Director of Capacity Development at YOURS Manpreet Darroch said, “Young leaders are fully immersed in action on the ground, they are the leaders that adapt to change and dynamically challenge road safety issues. Many have heard about the Sustainable Development Agenda but told us that they sometimes don’t understand how it relates to their work. Through this module, you will get to know where the SDGs came from as well as how road safety and your work can contribute to real local and global change”.

YOURS Capacity Development Manager Daniela Gomez said, “We have really enjoyed writing this module for our young leaders. It is an insight into how youth can connect their actions to a broader development agenda for change and understand how its links to what is happening globally, highlighting the regional differences and the opportunities to take action.  We know you will find it insightful and useful!”.

If you haven’t already, check out the modules that are already available for you to start learning now on the YOURS Academy;

(1) the Global Road Safety and Youth 

(2) the Safe System Approach and the Risk Factor

Complete the first two modules is a great background to build knowledge before the third one drops! See you on March 22nd for the official launch! 

REGISTER FOR THE LAUNCH HERE

“Acutely ill and injured people seek care for medical, surgical, and obstetric emergencies including road traffic injuries,” writes the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC). Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched “Advocating for Emergency Care” – a guide for non-governmental organizations that define their roles in emergency care.

WHO has published information about the guide. We published them here; 

The guide was developed collaboratively by WHO, including the WHO Global Alliance for Care of the Injured and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety. It offers step-by-step actions for more effective and impactful advocacy efforts for people who need emergency care, including those injured in road traffic crashes.

The guide primarily targets non-governmental organizations that operate with limited resources. It will support NGOs in their efforts to improve timely care for people with road traffic injuries and other medical emergencies while also offering ideas for the types of initiatives NGOs might conduct with a series of global case studies set in the context of road traffic injuries. 

“Individuals and families affected by injuries and other health emergencies have a range of physical, psychological, and legal needs. In this volume, we focus on advocacy for the time-sensitive health care that we can save millions of lives every year.”

Emergency care is an essential part of the health system and serves as the first point of contact for many who are injured, including in road crashes around the world. However, in some regions and contexts, timely emergency care is not consistently available or may be expensive. 

NGOs can effectively advocate for improved emergency care services in several contexts. They can promote improvements at the local level, such as improved care in the emergency department or operating theatre at the local hospital. They can also effect change at the national level, such as advocating for the passage of legislation on universal access numbers, free emergency care, or bystander protection laws.

MORE ABOUT THE ADVOCACY FOR EMERGENCY CARE GUIDE

YOURS Capacity Development Manager and Youth Coalition Youth Local Actions winner Dilshod Kholmatov joined the “Outspoken Cyclist Podcast” on Tuesday, March 7. Hosted and produced by Diane Jenks, the podcast is one of the longest-running and most popular bicycling podcasts in the field. Its topics range from advocacy and legislation to competition and other topics related to cycling. Daniela and Dilshod were joined by Carolyne Whelan, the Editor-In-Chief of Adventure Cyclist Magazine.

During the discussion, Daniela and Deepanshu talked about the work YOURS – Youth for Road Safety and the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety are doing to educate and empower youth to address road safety issues worldwide. 

They began by sharing the stories of how they got involved with the Global Youth Coalition, citing the 2nd World Youth Assembly for Road Safety that happened in Stockholm, Sweden on February 2020. Dilshod shared; “Our colleague Haidarsho (Makulshoev) won the (Impact Generator Challenge) grant – that’s where our journey started. He was familiar with YOURS and he told me about it. I was interested and became a member of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety where submitted my own (Local Actions) proposal for walking and cycling.” 

Both also talked about the work they’re doing in their communities to further road safety and meaningful youth engagement. They talked about their partnerships with decision-makers, also giving examples of the challenges that they sometimes face

“Well, there are many challenges. One is making decision-makers see us [youth] as legitimate counterparts. They are always saying we don’t have enough experience and they underestimate our skills. It can be hard to get their attention. That’s why we have the Policymakers’ Toolkit to help policymakers understand the different mechanisms on how to interact and allow participation from young people,” – Laura Daniela Gomez.

Focusing on the work they are currently doing, Dilshod spoke about how he and his team and Dushanbe have engaged with decision-makers at the city level to get them more involved in addressing the road safety needs of cyclists in the area. They are also working to improve road infrastructure so that it caters to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users. 

“Cars are the king of the road in Dushanbe and this is a struggle. There are always victims and when you show these losses to decision-makers, they usually would like to be part of the project; they’d like to help and be involved,” Dilshod shared. 

Daniela spoke about the different services the Youth Coalitions provide to support young people in their road safety work. She talked about the Capacity Development opportunities, the Local Actions projects, and YOURS Academy. She ended her intervention by inviting the listeners to go to the Youth Coalition website to get involved and to go to YOURS Academy to improve their road safety knowledge.

LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST HERE