The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies (IFRC) met on 22-25 November 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland for their annual General Assembly meeting. The meeting brought together 186 national societies from around the world to discuss international priorities for the organization. This year, IFRC have put road safety on the agenda and commemorate the Decade of Action for Road Safety.
The focus on road safety as a workshop at the IFRC General Assembly is a momentous occasion for the advancement of road safety internationally which brings attention to the cause with over 180 national societies who are active in the field of humanitarian support.
The various introductory presentations on the subject of road safety provided an insight into the relevance and importance of this issue and the reason for its inclusion in the Federation’s activities.The question of road safety is addressed in the resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly 64/255 on Improving Global Road Safety and the commitment of our Federation in the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.
The workshop discussions highlighted the following points:
The loss of human life and the social and economic consequences resulting from road accidents. This road safety crisis is a man-made problem, which leaves 1.3 million people dead and 50 million seriously injured each year.
The National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as auxiliaries to the public authorities, have a humanitarian imperative to address road safety in order to contribute to improving the situation.
This year’s International Federation General Assembly is a good time to act. The UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 is underway and provides the International Federation with an opportunity, through its network of experts and the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), to contribute with the valuable support that it can offer as a reference centre.
The recommendations are:
- Approve the common framework for action “What a National Society can do for road safety”; as a starting point for road safety action;
- Approve the International Federation’s pledge to road safety
- Support the proposal to submit to the International Conference “A joint commitment (National Societies and governments) on road safety”;
- Undertake to report on the implementation of this commitment at the next General Assembly in 2013.
The follow up to these recommendations should create a sustainable movement through IFRC for effective road safety work in some of the world’s most affected areas. We would like to congratulate our partner GRSP (Global Road Safety Partnership) for their work to make this happen. At YOURS we will help them where needed to implement the recommendations. More information will be made available soon.