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Thursday, 29 June 2022
UNITED NATIONS TO ACT FOR GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY
New York, 28 June 2022 – President of the United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt will on 30 June 2022 address the opening of a two-day High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on Improving Global Road Safety at the UN Headquarters.
The meeting is convened under the theme of “The 2030 horizon for road safety: securing a decade of action and delivery”, as agreed by Member States in General Assembly resolution 75/308.
Each year, road traffic crashes cause nearly 1.3 million preventable deaths and an estimated 50 million injuries – making it the leading killer of children and young people worldwide. Nine of every ten road traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. One of four is a pedestrian or a cyclist.
Given the significant public health concern stemming from road traffic injuries, WHO and the United Nations regional commissions, in cooperation with other partners, launched the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. Along with a 50 per cent reduction target in road traffic fatalities and injuries by 2030, the Global Plan calls on governments and all stakeholders to take a new path – one that not only saves lives and prevents injuries, but also positively impacts child health, the environment, gender, poverty, equity, innovation and transport – thereby reducing the social and economic toll of these preventable tragedies.
A political declaration, which has been agreed in advance by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations, is expected to be adopted by the Assembly in the morning on 30 June. The political declaration offers a vision for the future of mobility as one that promotes health and well-being, protects the environment, and benefits all people. It recognizes the importance of a holistic approach to address road safety, by highlighting the interlinkages between road safety and the Sustainable Development Goals. Among other outcomes, the political declaration also seeks to convene a follow-up meeting on road safety in 2026, in an effort to sustain momentum, identifying gaps and solutions to address progress towards the achievement of the road safety-related SDGs targeted by 2030.
The High-level Meeting will be organized over a two-day period. The first day will consist of an opening segment featuring President of the United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt, and a plenary segment, featuring formal statements from Member States. The second day will have three multi-stakeholder panels, a continued plenary segment, and a closing segment.
The opening segment on 30 June will be followed by a stakeout in the East Foyer. It is expected that President Shahid, Mr. Stewart Simonson, Assistant Director General and WHO Director General’s Special Representative for UN Reform, and Special Envoy Todt will speak to the press around 11:30 a.m.
On the second day, 1 July, there will be a press conference at 11 a. m. in the S-237 briefing room with President Shahid, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Ms. Olga Algayerova and Special Envoy Todt.
Starting on Thursday morning, a floral bouquet will be displayed in the General Assembly lobby, in memory of those who have been victims of road related crashes globally. The flowers will be available until Friday evening.
Opening Segment
30 June 2022, 10 - 10:30 a.m. EST
The official opening session of the High-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Global Road Safety at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
- President of the United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahid
- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
- WHO Director-General Representative Stewart Simonson
- United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt
How to watch: The event will be broadcasted on UN Web TV.
Press stakeout
30 June 2022, around 11:30 a.m.
President of the General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, WHO Director-General Representative Stewart Simonson and Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt will speak to the press at the East Foyer about the High-level Meeting and the Political Declaration.
How to join: The event will be broadcasted on UN Web TV.
Plenary Segment
30 June 2022, 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.- 6 p.m.
1 July 2022, 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
How to watch: The event will be broadcasted on UN Web TV.
Multi-stakeholder Panels
1 July 2022
- 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.: Incorporating road safety into sustainable development: political will and whole-of-government approach
Keynote speaker: Ms. Audley Shaw, Jamaica Minister of Transport and Former Minister of Finance
- 11:30 a.m - 1 p.m.: Mobilizing all stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of the Global Plan and achieve the 50% reduction
Keynote speaker:Ms. Rochelle Sobel, President of the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT)
- 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.: Sustained domestic investments and international financing for capacity-building and development assistance in evidence-based road safety interventions
Keynote speaker:Mr. Francois Bausch, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Minister for Mobility and Public Works, Luxembourg
How to watch: The event will be broadcasted on UN Web TV.
Press Conference
1 July 2022 at 11 a.m.
President of the General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, UNECE Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova and Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt will speak to the media in a hybrid press conference in S-237 about the UN Road Safety Fund.
How to join: Please contact the offices for a WebEx link. The event will be broadcasted on UN Web TV.
Closing Segment
1 July 2022, 5:30 - 6 p.m.
The official closing segment of the High-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Global Road Safety at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
- President of the United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahid
- Etienne Krug, Director Social Determinants of Health at WHO
How to watch: The event will be broadcasted on UN Web TV.
DIGITAL ASSETS
Website: High-Level Meeting on Global Road Safety | General Assembly of the United Nations.
Social Media: https://trello.com/b/cZzUtxhf/hlm-on-road-safety-june-2022
Follow the online conversation using the hashtags #RoadSafety and #StreetsforLife, and following @UN_PGA,@WHO, @JeanTodt,@UNECE, @UNRSC, and @UN_RSF.
Approved images: https://trello.com/c/fyaCodpK/14-transfer-from-dec-3-images
RELATED EVENTS
- 27June - 1 July: Global Art Exhibition #Claimingourspace, Vienna Cafe corridor, UNHQ. Organized by Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) and Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety in collaboration with World Health Organization, UNSG Special Envoy for Road Safety and Create 2030.
- 28 June: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE, 9.30 am - 12.30 pm EST, National Press Club, Washington DC. Organized by Towards Zero Foundation and the Global New Car Assessment Programme. More details at Road+Map+For+Safer+Vehciles+2030.pdf (squarespace.com)
- 29 June: Action for Good Vision on the Road. Together for Safer Roads, 1:00 pm to 3:00pm, UN Delegates Dining Room, Organized by EssilorLuxottica, UN Road Safety Fund, FIA
- 29 June: UNICEF Child Road Safety: Global Drive to Action, 2:00 - 4:00 pm EST, Japan Society, 333 E 47th Street, New York.
- 30 June: Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) side event, 1:15 - 2:45 pm EST, Sputnik Space, UNHQ. Organized in partnership by World Health Organization, Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, and Create 2030.
- 30 June: UN Road Safety Fund Pledging Conference, 1:15 - 2:45 pm EST. More details at: https://roadsafetyfund.un.org/resources/pledging-event
- 30 June: Integrating Road Safety into the SDGs – lessons learned and achievements, 8:15 – 9:30 am EST, Permanent Mission of Sweden, 885 Second Avenue, 46th Floor (between 47th and 48th Street), New York. Hosted by His Excellency Mr. Tomas Eneroth, Minister for Infrastructure, Sweden
- 30 June: IRF Side Event – Action for Road Safety: Private Sector Leadership, 2:30 – 3:30 pm CEST, virtual. Organized by the International Road Federation with the support of TotalEnergies Foundation. Register here: https://bit.ly/3QUyVwI
INTERVIEWS
For interviews or other questions, please contact:
· Office of the President of the General Assembly
o Paulina Greer, Email: kubiakp@un.org; Tel: +1 917 367 3819
· WHO Office at the United Nations
o Angelica Spraggins, Communications Office, New York, Email: spragginsan@who.int, Tel: +1 917 388 5562
· Secretariat for the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety
o Priti Gautam, Programme Management Officer, Email: priti.gautam@un.org Tel: +41 (0) 22 917 5614
· UN Road Safety Fund
o Linda Olango, Media and Communications Officer, Email: linda.olango@un.org Tel: +33 749013840
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